Biomimetic In vitro model of cell infiltration into skin scaffolds for pre-screening and testing of biomaterial-based therapies
File(s)
Published version
OA Location
Author(s)
Ballesteros-Cillero, Rafael
Davison-Kotler, Evan
Kohli, Nupur
Marshall, William S
García-Gareta, Elena
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Due to great clinical need, research where different biomaterials are tested as 3D scaffolds for skin tissue engineering has increased. In vitro studies use a cell suspension that is simply pipetted onto the material and cultured until the cells migrate and proliferate within the 3D scaffold, which does not mimic the in vivo reality. Our aim was to engineer a novel biomimetic in vitro model that mimics the natural cell infiltration process occurring in wound healing, thus offering a realistic approach when pre-screening and testing new skin substitutes. Our model consists of porous membrane cell culture inserts coated with gelatin and seeded with human dermal fibroblasts, inside which two different commercially available dermal substitutes were placed. Several features relevant to the wound healing process (matrix contraction, cell infiltration and proliferation, integration of the biomaterial with the surrounding tissue, and secretion of exogenous cytokines and growth factors) were evaluated. Our results showed that cells spontaneously infiltrate the materials and that our engineered model is able to induce and detect subtle differences between different biomaterials. The model allows for room for improvements or “adds-on” and miniaturization and can contribute to the development of functional and efficient skin substitutes for burns and chronic wounds.
Date Issued
2019-08-17
Date Acceptance
2019-08-16
Citation
Cells, 2019, 8 (8), pp.1-14
ISSN
2073-4409
Publisher
MDPI AG
Start Page
1
End Page
14
Journal / Book Title
Cells
Volume
8
Issue
8
Copyright Statement
© 2019 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access
article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution
(CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution
(CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
License URL
Identifier
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/8/8/917
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2019-08-17