Development of an Ex Vivo Human Skin Explant Model to Examine Candidate Gene Functions in the Hair Follicle and Epidermis
Studysummary This study found that treating human skin explants with TPA increased the number of certain melanocyte phenotypes in the interfollicular epidermis, suggesting that this ex vivo model can effectively replicate human skin's pharmacologic responses for studying potential treatments. Our plain-language summary of this paper — not a Tressless recommendation.
The study developed an ex vivo human skin explant model to examine gene functions in hair follicles (HFs) and interfollicular epidermis (IE). Using skin from 3 healthy individuals, the explants were treated with standard media or media containing TPA, a compound known for its pro-proliferative effects on melanocytes (MCs). After 7 days, TPA treatment significantly increased the number of PMEL(+) cells and non-proliferative PMEL phenotypes in the IE, but had no significant effect on HF MC precursors. The results indicated that this model could effectively replicate in vivo skin responses and serve as a valuable tool for testing gene functions and pharmacologic responses.
