Fabricating a Novel Three-Dimensional Skin Model Using Silica Nonwoven Fabrics (SNF)

Silica nonwoven fabrics (SNF) prepared using electrospinning have high biocompatibility, thermal stability, and porosity that allows growing three-dimensional culture of cells. In this study, we used SNF to construct a three-dimensional artificial skin model consisting of epidermal and dermal layers with immortalized and primary human cell lines, creating a novel model that minimizes tissue shrinkage. As a result, SNF dermal/epidermal models have enhanced functions in the basement membrane, whereas Collagen dermal/epidermal models have advantages in keratinization and barrier functions. The SNF dermal/epidermal model with mechanical strength formed a basement membrane mimicking structure, suggesting the construction of a stable skin model. Next, we constructed three-dimensional skin models consisting of SNF and collagen. In the combination models, the expression of genes in the basement membrane was significantly increased compared with that in the Collagen dermal/epidermal model, and the gene for keratinization was increased compared with that in the SNF dermal/epidermal model. We believe that the combination model can be a biomimetic model that takes advantage of both SNF and collagen and can be applied to various basic research. Our new skin model is expected to be an alternative method for skin testing to improve the shrinkage of the collagen matrix gel.