title: Porcine ear skin: an in vitro model for human skin.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Porcine ear skin is used in studies of percutaneous penetration as a substitute for human skin. The structure of this tissue, including hair follicles, was studied qualitatively and quantitatively in comparison with human skin.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sections of shock-frozen biopsies, biopsies embedded in paraffin and cyanoacrylate skin surface biopsies were investigated using microscopy. The thickness of the different skin layers and the follicular characteristics were determined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The thickness of the stratum corneum was 17-28 microm, whereas the viable epidermis was 60-85 microm thick. On 1 cm(2), 11-25 hairs were detected, showing a diameter of 58-97 microm and a maximal extension depth of 0.96-1.38 mm into the skin. The orifices of the porcine infundibula showed a diameter of approximately 200 microm.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results obtained are similar to those of human skin, indicating the suitability of this porcine tissue as a model for human skin.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany. ute.jacobi@charite.de
authors.forename: Ute
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Jacobi
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kaiser
authors.forename: Rani
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Toll
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mangelsdorf
authors.forename: Heike
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Audring
authors.forename: Nina
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Otberg
authors.forename: Wolfram
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Sterry
authors.forename: Juergen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lademann
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D023421:Models, Animal; D012867:Skin / Q000166:cytology*; D012879:Skin Physiological Phenomena; D013045:Species Specificity; D013499:Surface Properties; D013552:Swine