The Ex Vivo Skin Model as an Alternative Tool for the Efficacy and Safety Evaluation of Topical Products

Author(s)

Eberlin, Samara ^[1] ; da Silva, Michelle Sabrina ^{[1, 2]} ; Facchini, Gustavo ^{[1, 2]} ; da Silva, Gustavo Henrique ^{[1, 2]} ; Tabarini Alves Pinheiro, Ana Lucia ^{[1, 2]} ; Eberlin, Samir ^[3] ; Pinheiro, Adriano da Silva ^{[1, 2]}

Affiliation

^[1] Kosmosci Grp, Rua Sandoval Meirelles 72, BR-13040315 Campinas, SP - Brazil

^[2] Eberlin, Samir, Sante DOr Inst, Sumare, SP, Brazil.Eberlin, Samara, Kosmosci Grp, Rua Sandoval Meirelles 72, BR-13040315 Campinas, SP - Brazil

^[3] Sante DOr Inst, Sumare, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Review article
• Source: ATLA-ALTERNATIVES TO LABORATORY ANIMALS; v. 48, n. 1, p. 10-22, JAN 2020.
• Web of Science Citations: 4

Abstract

The development of alternative approaches for safety and efficacy testing that avoid the use of animals is a worldwide trend, which relies on the improvement of current models and tools so that they better reproduce human biology. Human skin from elective plastic surgery is a promising experimental model to test the effects of topically applied products. As the structure of native skin is maintained, including cell population (keratinocytes, melanocytes, Langerhans cells and fibroblasts) and dermal matrix (containing collagen, elastin, glycosaminoglycans, etc.), it most closely matches the effects of substances on in vivo human skin. In this review, we present a collection of results that our group has generated over the last years, involving the use of human skin and scalp explants, demonstrating the feasibility of this model. The development of a test system with ex vivo skin explants, of standard size and thickness, and cultured at the air-liquid interface, can provide an important tool for understanding the mechanisms involved in several cutaneous disorders. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 17/15935-6 - Standardization of ex vivo human skin model for alternative assays in assessing the potential for skin irritation and corrosion
• Grantee: Samara Eberlin
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Innovative Research in Small Business - PIPE
• FAPESP's process: 15/08598-8 - Determination of the effect of infrared-A radiation on gene modulation in human skin culture to develop an alternative method for assessment of preclinical efficacy
• Grantee: Samara Eberlin
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Innovative Research in Small Business - PIPE