title: Restoration of the transepithelial potential within tissue-engineered human skin in vitro and during the wound healing process in vivo.
abstract: Normal human epidermis possesses a transepithelial potential (TEP) that varies in different parts of the body (10–60mV). The role of TEP in normal epidermis is not yet identified; but after skin injury, TEP disruption induces an endogenous direct current electric field (100–200mV/mm) directed toward the middle of the wound. This endogenous electric field could be implicated in the wound healing process by attracting cells, thus facilitating reepithelialization. However, little is known on the restoration of the TEP during human skin formation and wound healing. In this study, the variations in TEP and Na+/K+ ATPase pump expression during the formation of the epithelium were investigated in vitro using human tissue-engineered human skin (TES) reconstituted by tissue engineering and in vivo with a porcine wound healing model. Results showed that TEP undergoes ascending and decreasing phases during epithelium formation in TES as well as during wound repair within TES. Similar results were observed during in vivo reepithelialization of wounds. The ascending and decreasing TEP values were correlated with changes in the expression of Na+/K+ ATPase pump. The distribution of Na+/K+ ATPase pumps also varied according to epidermal differentiation. Taken together, these results suggest that the variations in the expression of Na+/K+ ATPase pump over time and across epidermis would be a determinant parameter of the TEP, dictating a cationic transport during the formation and restoration of the epidermis. Therefore, this study brings a new perspective to understand the formation and restoration of TEP during the cutaneous wound healing process. This might have important future medical applications regarding the treatment of chronic wound healing.
authors.affiliation: Génie Tissulaire at Régénération: LOEX, Centre de Recherche FRSQ du CHA Universitaire de Québec, Québec, QC, Canada.
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dubé
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Rochette-Drouin
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lévesque
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gauvin
authors.forename: Charles J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Roberge
authors.forename: François A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Auger
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Goulet
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bourdages
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Plante
authors.forename: Lucie
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Germain
authors.forename: Véronique J
authors.initials: VJ
authors.lastname: Moulin
mesh_terms: D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004817:Epidermis / Q000378:metabolism*; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006801:Humans; D015603:Keratinocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D012867:Skin / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D000254:Sodium-Potassium-Exchanging ATPase / Q000378:metabolism; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods*; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D000254:Sodium-Potassium-Exchanging ATPase