[Obtention of human skin sheets by means of tissue engineering]

The aim of this "in vitro" study was to develop a new system for keratinocyte culture on a dermal equivalent that enables treatment of different skin injuries. The keratinocyte where obtained from primary cell cultures derived from skin biopsies, seeded over a fibrin matrix enhanced with live human fibroblast. Cells growing over the dermal equivalent, rapidly confluences and a stratified epithelium was obtained within 20-25 days culture. Detachment of composite culture from flask is a simple and quick procedure with no need for chemical or enzyme treatments. The method described provides a number of advantages which include the large expansion of keratinocyte from the primary cell cultures without the need of a feeder layer, the availability of plasma from blood banks, and the versatile and safe manipulation of composite obtained "in vitro". All these facts allow to assure that this system could result very efficient for the treatment of all type of skin injuries.