title: Current and emerging vascularization strategies in skin tissue engineering.
abstract: Vascularization is a key process in skin tissue engineering, determining the biological function of artificial skin implants. Hence, efficient vascularization strategies are a major prerequisite for the safe application of these implants in clinical practice. Current approaches include (i) modification of structural and physicochemical properties of dermal scaffolds, (ii) biological scaffold activation with growth factor-releasing systems or gene vectors, and (iii) generation of prevascularized skin substitutes by seeding scaffolds with vessel-forming cells. These conventional approaches may be further supplemented by emerging strategies, such as transplantation of adipose tissue-derived microvascular fragments, 3D bioprinting and microfluidics, miRNA modulation, cell sheet engineering, and fabrication of photosynthetic scaffolds. The successful translation of these vascularization strategies from bench to bedside may pave the way for a broad clinical implementation of skin tissue engineering.
authors.affiliation: a Institute for Clinical and Experimental Surgery , Saarland University , Homburg (Saar) , Germany.|b Division of Plastic Surgery and Hand Surgery , University Hospital Zurich , Zurich , Switzerland.
authors.forename: Florian S
authors.initials: FS
authors.lastname: Frueh
authors.affiliation: a Institute for Clinical and Experimental Surgery , Saarland University , Homburg (Saar) , Germany.
authors.forename: Michael D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Menger
authors.affiliation: b Division of Plastic Surgery and Hand Surgery , University Hospital Zurich , Zurich , Switzerland.
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Lindenblatt
authors.affiliation: b Division of Plastic Surgery and Hand Surgery , University Hospital Zurich , Zurich , Switzerland.
authors.forename: Pietro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Giovanoli
authors.affiliation: a Institute for Clinical and Experimental Surgery , Saarland University , Homburg (Saar) , Germany.
authors.forename: Matthias W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Laschke
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D012867:Skin; D023822:Tissue Engineering; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds
keywords: Angiogenesis; blood vessels; dermal substitute; endothelial cells; mesenchymal stem cells; scaffold modification; skin defect