A putative in vitro organotypic model of molting with human skin explants

We report finding a simple method to partially reproduce the characteristic process of molting that takes place in invertebrates using human skin explants in vitro. In this method, human skin explants discarded from regular plastic surgery procedures were kept, submersed, in regular growth medium for 10 days at 4°C. After that period, the skin explants were cultured at the air-liquid interface for another 10 days. Histological analysis of the skin revealed the formation of one full epidermal structure and an additional intermediate epidermal structure containing a putative stratum corneum, superimposed one of top of the other, in which we consider an equivalent model of "molting" or "ecdysis". Basic analysis of cell proliferation and differentiation of the explants at different stages of the process are briefly presented. We believe this model can be used in the study of certain human skin diseases as well as in comparative animal physiology.