Microfluidic skin chip with vasculature for recapitulating the immune response of the skin tissue

Abstract

There is a considerable need for cell-based in vitro skin models for studying dermatological diseases and testing cosmetic products, but current in vitro skin models lack physiological relevance compared to human skin tissue. For example, many dermatological disorders involve complex immune responses, but current skin models are not capable of recapitulating the phenomena. Previously, we reported development of a microfluidic skin chip with a vessel structure and vascular endothelial cells. In this study, we cocultured dermal fibroblasts and keratinocytes with vascular endothelial cells, human umbilical vascular endothelial cells. We verified the formation of a vascular endothelium in the presence of the dermis and epidermis layers by examining the expression of tissue-specific markers. As the vascular endothelium plays a critical role in the migration of leukocytes to inflammation sites, we incorporated leukocytes in the circulating media and attempted to mimic the migration of neutrophils in response to external stimuli. Increased secretion of cytokines and migration of neutrophils was observed when the skin chip was exposed to ultraviolet irradiation, showing that the microfluidic skin chip may be useful for studying the immune response of the human tissue.

Keywords: in vitro skin model; microfluidic skin-on-a-chip; microphysiological system (MPS).