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A new model for preclinical testing of dermal substitutes for human skin reconstruction

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Abstract

Background

Currently, acellular dermal substitutes used for skin reconstruction are usually covered with split-thickness skin grafts. The goal of this study was to develop an animal model in which such dermal substitutes can be tested under standardized conditions using a bioengineered dermo-epidermal skin graft for coverage.

Methods

Bioengineered grafts consisting of collagen type I hydrogels with incorporated human fibroblasts and human keratinocytes seeded on these gels were produced. Two different dermal substitutes, namely Matriderm®, and an acellular collagen type I hydrogel, were applied onto full-thickness skin wounds created on the back of immuno-incompetent rats. As control, no dermal substitute was used. As coverage for the dermal substitutes either the bioengineered grafts were used, or, as controls, human split-thickness skin or neonatal rat epidermis were used. Grafts were excised 21 days post-transplantation. Histology and immunofluorescence was performed to investigate survival, epidermis formation, and vascularization of the grafts.

Results

The bioengineered grafts survived on all tested dermal substitutes. Epidermis formation and vascularization were comparable to the controls.

Conclusion

We could successfully use human bioengineered grafts to test different dermal substitutes. This novel model can be used to investigate newly designed dermal substitutes in detail and in a standardized way.

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Acknowledgments

This work was financially supported by the EU-FP6 project EuroSTEC (soft tissue engineering for congenital birth defects in children: contract: LSHB-CT-2006-037409), by the EU-FP7 project EuroSkinGraft (FP7/2007-2013: grant agreement no. 279024), and by the University of Zurich. We are particularly grateful to the Fondation Gaydoul and the sponsors of “Dona Tissue” (Thérèse Meier and Robert Zingg) for their financial support and interest in our work.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Tissue Biology Research Unit, Department of Surgery, University Children’s Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

    Fabienne Hartmann-Fritsch, Thomas Biedermann, Erik Braziulis & Ernst Reichmann

  2. Department of Pediatric Surgery, University Children’s Hospital Zurich, Steinwiesstrasse 75, 8032, Zurich, Switzerland

    Martin Meuli

Authors
  1. Fabienne Hartmann-Fritsch
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  2. Thomas Biedermann
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  3. Erik Braziulis
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  4. Martin Meuli
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  5. Ernst Reichmann
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Martin Meuli.

Additional information

F. Hartmann-Fritsch and T. Biedermann contributed equally to this paper.

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Hartmann-Fritsch, F., Biedermann, T., Braziulis, E. et al. A new model for preclinical testing of dermal substitutes for human skin reconstruction. Pediatr Surg Int 29, 479–488 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00383-013-3267-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00383-013-3267-y

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