In vivo model of wound healing based on transplanted tissue-engineered skin

Advances in understanding the complex process of wound healing and development of novel growth factor and gene therapies would benefit from models that mimic closely the physiology of human wounds. To this end, we developed a hybrid wound-healing model based on human tissue-engineered skin transplanted onto athymic mice. Grafted tissues were infiltrated with mouse mesenchymal cells as native and foreign dermal regions fused together. Immunohistochemical staining for human involucrin revealed that the transplanted epithelium maintained its human origin, whereas the dermis was infiltrated by numerous mouse fibroblasts and blood vessels. Grafted tissues were wounded with a 4-mm punch to create full-thickness excisional wounds. At 1 and 2 weeks, the tissues were excised and assessed for reepithelialization, differentiation, and neovascularization. Interestingly, the average rate of keratinocyte migration (120 μm/day) was similar to migration rates observed in human subjects and significantly lower than migration in mouse epidermis. Immunohistochemical staining for keratin 10, laminin, and involucrin revealed a normal pattern of differentiation in the neoepidermis. Neovascularization was significantly elevated in the granulation tissue at 1 week and subsided to the level of unwounded tissue at 2 weeks postwounding. Our data suggest that skin equivalents grafted to a mouse model may serve as a realistic model of human wound regeneration. Because skin equivalents can be prepared with patient cells and genetically modified to stimulate or suppress gene expression, this model may be ideal for addressing mechanistic questions and evaluating the efficacy of biomaterials and gene therapeutics for promoting wound healing.