A two-component pre-seeded dermal-epidermal scaffold
Authors
Isa P. Monteiro, Anita Shukla, Alexandra P. Marques, Rui L. Reis, Paula T. Hammond
Institution
Harvard
Country
United States
Year
2014
Journal
Society Biomaterialials
Abstract
Tissue engineering approaches for the development
of a single epidermal–dermal scaffold to treat fullthickness
skin defects have been limited by difficulties in the
fabrication of a bilayer scaffold combining the specific properties
of the epidermis and the dermis. Here we present an
innovative approach to developing a scaffold that holds
promise for skin tissue engineering. We utilize the sprayassisted
layer-by-layer assembly technique to deposit a polyelectrolyte
multilayer film composed of hyaluronic acid and
poly-L-lysine (the epidermal component) on a porous hyaluronic
acid scaffold (the dermal component), in a rapid and
controlled manner. The multilayer film promotes cell adhesion,
contributing to regeneration of the epidermal barrier
functions of skin. While human keratinocytes attached and
proliferated on the coated porous scaffolds, they did not
invade the porous dermal component, thus leaving room for
seeding of relevant fibroblast cell types in this scaffold. This
scaffold therefore holds promise for co-culture of different
cells, which may be useful for treatment of full-thickness
skin defects as well as other tissue engineering applications.