title: [Study of xenotransplantation of fetal pig skin precursor tissue].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To select the optimal pregnancy time window of embryonic pig skin precursor tissue for xenotransplantation and study its ability in wound repair.
  
  
  METHODS
  Skin precursor tissues were obtained from pig fetus of fetal age of 35, 42, 56, 70 days, and were minced into microskin and transplanted to dorsal wounds of BALB/c nude mice, then they were covered with residual skin after plastic surgery of patients or adult pig skin (white). The characteristics of growth and development were observed after transplantation. Pathological examination was performed on 6 and 12 post operation weeks respectively to observe the tissue structure and tumorigenicity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Skin precursor tissues from fetal pig survived and developed after transplantation, and the microskin fused. New tissue area from skin precursor tissues with fetal age of 42 days was (47 +/- 6) mm2, which was higher than that of 35 days (18 +/- 8 mm2), 56 days (31 +/- 12 mm2), 70 days (20 +/- 8 mm2, P < 0.05). The skin precursor developed into "intact skin" with hair, sebaceous glands and sweat glands, and melanocytes were also detected in epidermis. The newly-grown skin tissue included epidermal and dermal layer, and obvious dermal papillae. Teratoma was not found after transplantation in skin precursor tissue with fetal age of 56, 70 days.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Fetal pig skin precursor tissue with fetal age of 56 days can be used to repair wound as xenotransplantation.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Burn Research, Southwest Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burns and Combined Injury, the Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, PR China.
authors.forename: Zheng-gen
authors.initials: ZG
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Gao-xing
authors.initials: GX
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Wei-feng
authors.initials: WF
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Cheng-jun
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Gan
authors.forename: Shun-zong
authors.initials: SZ
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.forename: Xiong-fei
authors.initials: XF
authors.lastname: Jia
authors.forename: Jiang-lin
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: Xiao-juan
authors.initials: XJ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Liang-peng
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Ge
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wei
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016332:Fetal Tissue Transplantation; D005333:Fetus; D005865:Gestational Age; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008819:Mice, Nude; D016038:Skin Transplantation; D013552:Swine; D014183:Transplantation, Heterologous; D014945:Wound Healing