Modelling the Complexity of Human Skin In Vitro

The skin serves as an important barrier protecting the body from physical, chemical and pathogenic hazards as well as regulating the bi-directional transport of water, ions and nutrients. In order to improve the knowledge on skin structure and function as well as on skin diseases, animal experiments are often employed, but anatomical as well as physiological interspecies differences may result in poor translatability of animal-based data to the clinical situation. In vitro models, such as human reconstructed epidermis or full skin equivalents, are valuable alternatives to animal experiments. Enormous advances have been achieved in establishing skin models of increasing complexity in the past. In this review, human skin structures are described as well as the fast evolving technologies developed to reconstruct the complexity of human skin structures in vitro.

Automated summary

The skin acts as a protective barrier and controls the transport of water, ions, and nutrients. Animal experiments are commonly used to study skin structure and function, but anatomical and physiological differences between species can limit the translatability of data to humans. In vitro models, such as reconstructed human skin, provide valuable alternatives to animal experiments. This review highlights the progress made in establishing complex in vitro skin models.