Reconstructed Human Epidermis: an Efficient Prediction Tool

RHE has the ultimate advantage to grow donor epidermal cells in a serumfree culture environment: after rapidly proliferating preparative keratinocyte cultures have been obtained, the yielded epidermal cells are seeded on inert filter substrates that are lifted to the air-liquid interface in a humidified-air incubator. A fully-defined nutrient medium feeds the basal cells through the filter substratum. After 14 days, a stratified epidermis has formed that closely resembles human epidermis in vivo. Morphologically, these cultures exhibit a well-stratified epithelium and cornified epidermis with significantly improved barrier function and metabolic activity. Differentiation markers such as suprabasal keratins, integrin b4, integrin a6, fibronectin, involucrin, filaggrin, trichohyalin, type I, III, IV, V and VII collagen, laminin, heparan sulfate and membrane-bound transglutaminase have been found to be expressed similar to those of the epidermis. IRRITATION & INFLAMMATION