Considerations in the Choice of a Skin Donor Site for Harvesting Keratinocytes Containing a High Proportion of Stem Cells for Culture In Vitro

December 2010 in “ Burns ”

Amélie Lavoie, Claudia Fugère, Julie Fradette, Danielle Larouche, Claudie Paquet, Annie Beauparlant, Robert Gauvin, Félix-André Têtu, Alphonse Roy, Maurice Bouchard, Hervé Genest, François A. Auger, Lucie Germain

keratinocytes stem cells Keratin 19 skin grafting burn patients scalp p-auricular skin chest skin

Studysummary This study found that p-auricular skin sites produced higher quality keratinocyte cultures with more K19-positive cells compared to scalp and chest sites, despite scalp's higher stem cell content in situ.

Our plain-language summary. Not medical advice or a treatment recommendation. Consult a qualified healthcare professional before changing treatment. Full disclaimer

The study evaluated the impact of different anatomic sites on the quality of keratinocyte cultures for skin grafting in burn patients, focusing on the proportion of stem cells. It compared scalp, chest, and p-auricular skin, using Keratin 19 as a marker for stem cells. Results showed that p-auricular skin yielded about twice the proportion of K19-positive cells compared to the scalp in vitro, although scalp had more K19-positive cells in situ. Chest skin had the lowest stem cell content. The findings suggested that the choice of donor site and the ability to extract stem cells significantly influenced the quality of keratinocyte cultures.

View this study on sciencedirect.com →

Discuss this study in the Community →

Research cited in this study

5 / 5 results

Markers to Evaluate the Quality and Self-Renewing Potential of Engineered Human Skin Substitutes In Vitro and After Transplantation

research Markers to Evaluate the Quality and Self-Renewing Potential of Engineered Human Skin Substitutes In Vitro and After Transplantation

120 citations , August 2008 in “The journal of investigative dermatology/Journal of investigative dermatology”

This study found that C8/144B antibody exclusively binds to the hair follicle bulge and not the epidermal stratum basale, with cytokeratin 19 serving as a key marker of certain basal keratinocytes that decrease with age.

research Vibrissa Hair Bulge Houses Two Populations of Skin Epithelial Stem Cells Distinct by Their Keratin Profile

45 citations , December 2007 in “The FASEB journal”

This study demonstrated that hair follicle bulge stem cells can form epidermis in a tissue-engineered skin model, highlighting the significance of K5/K17 filaments in slow-cycling stem cell subsets.

research Variations of Hair Follicle Size and Distribution in Different Body Sites

405 citations , January 2004 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology”

This study found that hair follicle characteristics vary significantly across different body sites, with the forehead and calf showing the highest potential follicular reservoirs, challenging previous assumptions about skin appendage distribution.

research An Improved and Rapid Method to Construct Skin Equivalents from Human Hair Follicles and Fibroblasts

48 citations , August 2001 in “Experimental dermatology”

This study developed a rapid, cost-effective three-dimensional skin equivalent model using human dermal fibroblasts, collagen, and hair follicles, which closely resembles natural human skin and can be used for autologous transplantation.

research Keratin 19 as a Biochemical Marker of Skin Stem Cells In Vivo and In Vitro: Localization and Variation with Age and Culture Stage

441 citations , May 1996 in “Journal of Cell Science”

This study found that keratin 19 may be a marker for skin stem cells, helping to characterize these cells in different conditions and potentially explaining variations in healing rates between children and adults.