title: Model for human skin reconstructed in vitro composed of associated dermis and epidermis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The technique of obtaining human skin with dermis and epidermis reconstructed from cells isolated from patients can enable autologous skin grafting on patients with few donor sites. It also enables in vitro trials on chemicals and drugs. The objective of this work was to demonstrate a method for obtaining human skin composed of associated dermis and epidermis, reconstructed in vitro.
  
  
  METHODS
  Experimental laboratory study, in the Skin Cell Culture Laboratory of Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade Estadual de Campinas.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cells from human fibroblast cultures are injected into bovine collagen type I matrix and kept immersed in specific culturing medium for fibroblasts. This enables human dermis reconstruction in vitro. On this, by culturing human keratinocytes and melanocytes, differentiated epidermis is formed, leading to the creation of human skin composed of associated dermis and epidermis, reconstructed in vitro.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We showed that human skin composed of associated dermis and epidermis can be successfully reconstructed in vitro. It is histologically formed in the same way as human skin in vivo. Collagen tissue can be identified in the dermis, with cells and extracellular matrix organized in parallel to multilayer epidermis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is possible to obtain completely differentiated human skin composed of associated dermis and epidermis, reconstructed in vitro, from injection of human fibroblasts into bovine collagen type I matrix and culturing of human keratinocytes and melanocytes on this matrix.
authors.affiliation: Skin Cell Culture Laboratory, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Unicamp), Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil. lrmsouto@yahoo.com.br
authors.forename: Luís Ricardo Martinhão
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Souto
authors.forename: Jussara
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rehder
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vassallo
authors.forename: Maria Letícia
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Cintra
authors.forename: Maria Helena Stangler
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Kraemer
authors.forename: Maria Beatriz
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Puzzi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D024042:Collagen Type I; D020405:Dermis / Q000166:cytology*; D000078404:Epidermal Cells; D005109:Extracellular Matrix; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000166:cytology*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D015603:Keratinocytes / Q000166:cytology; D008544:Melanocytes / Q000166:cytology; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D024042:Collagen Type I