AccScience Publishing / IJB / Online First / DOI: 10.36922/ijb.3961
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RESEARCH ARTICLE

3D bioprinting of in vitro full-thickness skin model with a rete ridge structure

Ilho Jang1 ,  Jae-Hun Kim2 ,  Misun Kim3 ,  Paulo Andre Marinho1 ,  Younhwa Nho3 ,  Seunghyun Kang3 ,  Won-Soo Yun1,4 ,  Jin-Hyung Shim1,4,* ,  Songwan Jin1,4,*
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1 T&R Biofab Co., Ltd., Siheung-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
2 Department of Mechanical System Engineering, Graduate School of Convergence Technology and Energy, Tech University of Korea, Siheung-si, Gyonggi-do, South Korea
3 Laboratory of Bio Technology, COSMAX BTI R&I Center, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
4 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tech University of Korea, Siheung-si, Gyonggi-do, South Korea
IJB 2024, 10(5), 3961 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijb.3961
Submitted: 17 June 2024 | Accepted: 31 July 2024 | Published: 1 August 2024
© 2024 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
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Abstract

Rete ridges are undulating structures located between the epidermis and dermis that play a crucial role in maintaining the skin’s barrier function, protecting the body from pollutants and ultraviolet (UV) radiation. This formation of rete ridges within in vitro skin models is essential for evaluating the efficacy and safety of pharmaceuticals or cosmetics, replacing the need for animal models. Micro-molding is a prominent technique for recreating the rete ridge structure in in vitro skin models. However, this method is characterized by high technical difficulty. Although 3D bioprinting technology has demonstrated potential for fabricating skin models with the rete ridge structure, it is also limited by the extended time required for structural implementation. In this study, we introduce a methodology for fabricating full-thickness skin equivalents with rete ridges using preset extrusion bioprinting. A polycaprolactone frame was 3D-printed, and the dermal layer was bioprinted in the frame. Subsequently, furrowing steps were undertaken to create a substrate for the stable anchoring of strands produced by the preset extrusion bioprinting, fabricating a dermis layer with a rete ridge structure. Keratinocytes were then seeded and differentiated, forming the stratum corneum. We observed that protein expression was preserved in the valleys of the rete ridge after UV irradiation of the rete ridge full-thickness skin equivalent, similar to that of human ex vivo skin models. Therefore, the rete ridge full-thickness skin equivalent generated using our method exhibits potential as a promising model to replace animal experiments and human ex vivo skin models.

Keywords
3D bioprinting
Skin model
Rete ridge
Preset extrusion
Dermal-epidermal junction
Funding
This research was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Ministry of Education (NRF-2017R1A6A1A03015562) and the Tech University of Korea Sabbatical Year Research Grant (2023).
Conflict of interest
W.-S.Y., J.-H.S., P.A. Marinho, I.J., and S.J. are employed by and shareholders of T&R Biofab. The remaining authors declare no conflicts of interest.
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International Journal of Bioprinting, Electronic ISSN: 2424-8002 Print ISSN: 2424-7723, Published by AccScience Publishing
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