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Updated: Dec 27, 2025
Generation of a Simplified Three-Dimensional Skin-on-a-chip Model in a Micromachined Microfluidic Platform
Published on: May 17, 2021
Microfluidic skin chip with vasculature for recapitulating the immune response of the skin tissue
Bong Shin Kwak1, Seon-Pil Jin2,3, Su Jung Kim4
1Department of Chemical Engineering, Hongik University, Republic of Korea.
Insights
This study developed a microfluidic skin chip with vascular structures to better model human skin. The enhanced model successfully simulated immune cell migration in response to ultraviolet irradiation, offering a more physiologically relevant tool for research.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Tissue Engineering
- Dermatology
Background:
- Current cell-based in vitro skin models lack the physiological complexity of human skin, limiting their utility for studying dermatological diseases and cosmetic testing.
- Existing models struggle to recapitulate complex immune responses crucial for understanding skin conditions.
- Previous work established a microfluidic skin chip incorporating vascular endothelial cells.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a more physiologically relevant in vitro skin model by incorporating vascular structures and immune cells.
- To investigate the potential of a microfluidic skin chip for studying immune responses in human skin.
- To assess the model's ability to mimic leukocyte migration and cytokine secretion.
Main Methods:
- Co-culturing dermal fibroblasts and keratinocytes with human umbilical vascular endothelial cells to form a vascular endothelium within a microfluidic chip.
- Verifying vascular endothelium formation using tissue-specific markers.
- Incorporating leukocytes into the circulating media to simulate immune cell migration.
- Exposing the microfluidic skin chip to ultraviolet irradiation to induce an immune response.
Main Results:
- Successful formation of a vascular endothelium integrated with dermal and epidermal layers was confirmed.
- The microfluidic skin chip demonstrated increased cytokine secretion upon ultraviolet irradiation.
- Neutrophil migration in response to ultraviolet stimuli was observed, indicating successful recapitulation of an immune response.
Conclusions:
- The developed microfluidic skin chip provides a more physiologically relevant in vitro model for human skin.
- This advanced model shows promise for studying dermatological diseases and the human immune response in skin.
- The chip's ability to mimic immune cell behavior offers a valuable tool for research and product testing.
Abstract:
There is a considerable need for cell-based in vitro skin models for studying dermatological diseases and testing cosmetic products, but current in vitro skin models lack physiological relevance compared to human skin tissue. For example, many dermatological disorders involve complex immune responses, but current skin models are not capable of recapitulating the phenomena. Previously, we reported development of a microfluidic skin chip with a vessel structure and vascular endothelial cells. In this study, we cocultured dermal fibroblasts and keratinocytes with vascular endothelial cells, human umbilical vascular endothelial cells. We verified the formation of a vascular endothelium in the presence of the dermis and epidermis layers by examining the expression of tissue-specific markers. As the vascular endothelium plays a critical role in the migration of leukocytes to inflammation sites, we incorporated leukocytes in the circulating media and attempted to mimic the migration of neutrophils in response to external stimuli. Increased secretion of cytokines and migration of neutrophils was observed when the skin chip was exposed to ultraviolet irradiation, showing that the microfluidic skin chip may be useful for studying the immune response of the human tissue.
