Unveiling the impact of hypodermis on gene expression for advancing bioprinted full-thickness 3D skin models
3D skin models have been explored as an alternative method to the use of animals in research and development. Usually, human skin equivalents comprise only epidermis or epidermis/dermis layers. Herein, we leverage 3D bioprinting technology to fabricate a full-thickness human skin equivalent with hypodermis (HSEH). The collagen hydrogel-based structure provides a mimetic environment for skin cells to adhere, proliferate and differentiate. The effective incorporation of the hypodermis layer is evidenced by scanning electron microscopy, immunofluorescence, and hematoxylin and eosin staining. The transcriptome results underscore the pivotal role of the hypodermis in orchestrating the genetic expression of a multitude of genes vital for skin functionality, including hydration, development and differentiation. Accordingly, we evidence the paramount significance of full-thickness human skin equivalents with hypodermis layer to provide an accurate in vitro platform for disease modeling and toxicology studies.
Authors
- Marcos Akira d’Ávila (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1981-9692)
- Rafael Abboud Azoubel (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1337-7838)
- Thayná Mendonça Avelino (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3808-5743)
- Pedro L. Granja (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2761-4929)
- Douglas Adamóski (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5062-2586)
- Fernanda Aparecida Heleno Batista (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0783-8378)
- Cíntia Delai da Silva Horinouchi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1040-2786)
- Ana Carolina Migliorini Figueira (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7023-8490)
- Luísa Oliveira (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2910-2794)
- Rafael Júnior de Azevedo
- Samarah Vargas Harb
- Vanessa K Thomaz
Institutions
- Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP) (BR)
- Universidade do Porto (PT)
- Instituto Dante Pazzanese de Cardiologia (BR)
- Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (BR)
- Brazilian Biosciences National Laboratory (BR)
- i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto (PT)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Communications Biology
- Published
- 2024-11-11
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-024-07106-4
- Citations
- 13
- Primary Topic
- 3D Printing in Biomedical Research
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 2.40
Funders
- Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo
- Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação
- Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico
- Centro Nacional de Pesquisa em Energia e Materiais
- Laboratório Nacional de Luz Síncrotron
- Laboratório Nacional de Biociências
- Laboratório Nacional de Nanotecnologia
- Laboratório Nacional de Biorrenováveis