Hayden, P.J. Cytokine and Lipid Mediator Release from In Vitro Skin Models Following Detergent Treatment or Physical Wounding. J. Invest. Dermatol. 1996. 106(4): 936. Abst. #782. [Reprinted by permission of Blackwell Science, Inc.]

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The purpose of the present work is to characterize two in vitro skin models with regard to release of inflammatory cytokines and lipids under basal conditions and following chemical or physical damage. The two models evaluated are Skin² (Advanced Tissue Sciences) and EpiDerm (MatTek Corporation). Model tissues were topically treated with SDS or were slice-wounded with a scalpel. Cytokines and lipid mediators measured by ELISA were IL-1a , TNF-a , IL-8, PGE₂ and LTB₄.

Under basal conditions only small amounts of IL-1a or TNF-a were secreted into the culture media by either model. Large amounts of IL-8 were detected in the Skin² media even under basal conditions, while the EpiDerm model produced only very slight amounts. Considerable amounts of PGE₂ were secreted by both models under basal conditions. No LTB₄ was detected under basal conditions.

Following slice-wounding or SDS treatment, the Skin² model secreted increased amounts of IL-1a , TNF-a , IL-8, PGE₂ (24-, 3-, 1.5- and 3-fold, respectively compared to controls) within the first 2h after treatment. A strong LTB₄ response (20-fold) was observed after SDS, but not slice-wounding treatment. In the EpiDerm model, slice-wounding produced an increase in IL-1a , TNF-a , IL-8, PGE₂ (78-, 95-, 19- and 2-fold, respectively) within 30 minutes after treatment.

It is concluded that in vitro skin models may be useful in research designed to elucidate the role of skin-derived mediators in inflammatory responses. The data indicate that in addition to IL-1a , TNF-a and IL-8 are also pre-formed in human keratinocytes and can be released very rapidly upon damage of skin.