title: Melanocytes from the outer root sheath of human hair and epidermal melanocytes display improved melanotic features in the niche provided by cGEL, oligomer-cross-linked gelatin-based hydrogel.
abstract: Non-invasively based cell treatments of depigmented skin disorders are largely limited by means of cell sampling as much as by their routes of application. Human melanocytes cultivated from the outer root sheath of hair follicle (HUMORS) are among the cell types that fit the non-invasive concept by being cultivated out of a minimal sample: hair root. Eventual implementation of HUMORS as a graft essentially depends on a choice of suitable biocompatible, biodegradable carrier that would mechanically and biologically support the cells as transient niche and facilitate their engraftment. Hence, the melanotic features of follicle-derived HUMORS and normal human epidermal melanocytes (NHEM) in engineered scaffolds based on collagen, the usual leading candidate for graft material for a variety of skin transplantation procedures were tested. Hydrogel named cGEL, an enzymatically degraded bovine gelatin chemically cross-linked with an oligomeric copolymer synthesized from pentaerythritol diacrylate monostearate (PEDAS), maleic anhydride (MA), and N-isopropylacrylamide (NiPAAm) or diacetone acrylamide (DAAm), was used. The cGEL provided a friendly three-dimensional (3D) cultivation environment for human melanocytes with increased melanin content of the 3D cultures in comparison to Collagen Cell Carrier®(CCC), a commercially available bovine decellularized collagen membrane, and electrospun polycaprolactone (PCL) matrices. One of the cGEL variants fostered not only a dramatic increase in melanin production but also a significant enhancement of melanotic gene PAX3, PMEL, TYR, and MITF expression in comparison to that of both CCC full-length collagen and PCL scaffolds, providing a clearly superior melanocyte niche that may be a suitable candidate for grafting carriers. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 104A: 3115-3126, 2016.
authors.affiliation: Saxon Incubator for Clinical Translation/Translational Centre for Regenerative Medicine, Leipzig University, Phillip-Rosenthal-Str.55, Leipzig, 04103, Germany.
authors.forename: Katharina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sülflow
authors.affiliation: Saxon Incubator for Clinical Translation/Translational Centre for Regenerative Medicine, Leipzig University, Phillip-Rosenthal-Str.55, Leipzig, 04103, Germany.
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schneider
authors.affiliation: Leipzig University, Faculty of Biosciences Pharmacy and Psychology, Institute of Pharmacy Dept of Pharmaceutical Technology, Eilenburger Straße 15 a, 04317, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Tina
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Loth
authors.affiliation: Leipzig University, Faculty of Biosciences Pharmacy and Psychology, Institute of Pharmacy Dept of Pharmaceutical Technology, Eilenburger Straße 15 a, 04317, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kascholke
authors.affiliation: Leipzig University, Faculty of Biosciences Pharmacy and Psychology, Institute of Pharmacy Dept of Pharmaceutical Technology, Eilenburger Straße 15 a, 04317, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Michaela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schulz-Siegmund
authors.affiliation: Leipzig University, Faculty of Biosciences Pharmacy and Psychology, Institute of Pharmacy Dept of Pharmaceutical Technology, Eilenburger Straße 15 a, 04317, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Michael C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Hacker
authors.affiliation: Clinic and Policlinic for Dermatology, Venereology, and Allergology, Leipzig University Clinic, Faculty of Medicine, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Jan-Christoph
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Simon
authors.affiliation: Saxon Incubator for Clinical Translation/Translational Centre for Regenerative Medicine, Leipzig University, Phillip-Rosenthal-Str.55, Leipzig, 04103, Germany. vsavkovic@sikt.uni-leipzig.de.
authors.forename: Vuk
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Savkovic
mesh_terms: D000178:Acrylamides / Q000737:chemistry; D000818:Animals; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry*; D002417:Cattle; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques; D002460:Cell Line; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents / Q000737:chemistry*; D005780:Gelatin / Q000737:chemistry*; D018859:Hair Follicle / Q000166:cytology*; D006801:Humans; D020136:Hydrogel, Polyethylene Glycol Dimethacrylate / Q000737:chemistry*; D008543:Melanins / Q000378:metabolism; D008544:Melanocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000178:Acrylamides; D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents; D008543:Melanins; D020136:Hydrogel, Polyethylene Glycol Dimethacrylate; D005780:Gelatin; C067295:N-isopropylacrylamide
keywords: 3D culture; Vitiligo; collagen; melanocytes; outer root sheath