Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 18, 2026
Generation of a Three-dimensional Full Thickness Skin Equivalent and Automated Wounding
Published on: February 26, 2015
Biologic variability of human foreskin fibroblasts in 2D and 3D culture: implications for a wound healing model
Mark A Carlson1, Amy K Prall, Jeremiah J Gums
1Department of Surgery, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-3280, USA. macarlso@unmc.edu
Background:
The fibroblast-populated 3D collagen matrix is a model of tissue and healing which has been used since the 1980's. It was hypothesized that anchorage disruption of the collagen matrix would produce p53-dependent apoptosis in the embedded fibroblasts, but results of hypothesis testing were variant.
Findings:
The response of p53 to anchorage disruption in 3D culture or to UV irradiation in 2D culture was influenced both by fibroblast strain and culture conditions. It also was determined that data scatter in a collagen matrix contraction assay was related to fibroblast strain and possibly to technical factors, such as cell culture technician and/or number of matrices utilized. Subsequent analysis suggested that phenotypic drift and/or inter-strain genetic variability may have been responsible for the data scatter. In addition, several technical factors were identified that may have contributed to the scatter.
Conclusion:
Experimentation with human foreskin fibroblasts in both 2D and 3D culture can produce variant data. The underlying cause of the data scatter appears to be partially due to the biologic variability of the fibroblast.
