Abstract
Neonatal human dermal fibroblasts cultured in vitro synthesize an organized and physically substantial three-dimensional extracellular matrix, without the addition of exogenous matrix components or synthetic scaffolds. De novo matrix synthesis proceeds in an orderly manner over a 21-d culture period and beyond. Analysis of the fibroblast phenotype, i.e., matrix synthesis by the fibroblasts, suggests that both serum and serum-free conditions are conducive to the production of a human tissue-engineered “dermal equivalent”. We report that given the appropriate permissive environment, the fibroblasts establish and grow a tissue in vitro, which bears striking biochemical and physical resemblance to normal human dermis.
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Acknowledgments
We thank Rachel Stock, Jessica Potzka, and Paul Kandola for expert technical assistance. We also thank William Fowle (Northeastern University) for assistance with scanning and transmission electron microscopy. We are grateful to Dr. Vincent Hascall (Cleveland Clinic Foundation) for sharing unpublished data regarding the implementation of FACE technology. We thank Drs. Bjorn Olsen (Harvard Medical School), Jim Rheinwald (Brigham and Women’s Hospital), Susan Sullivan, and Sam Clark for critical comments.
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Editor: J. Denry Sato
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Pouyani, T., Ronfard, V., Scott, P.G. et al. De novo synthesis of human dermis in vitro in the absence of a three-dimensional scaffold. In Vitro Cell.Dev.Biol.-Animal 45, 430–441 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11626-009-9213-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11626-009-9213-6