Structural analysis of artificial skin equivalents

Artificial skin equivalents ASEs based on primary fibroblasts and keratinocytes show a high batch variance in their structural and morphological characteristics. Due to biological fluctuations and variable donor age, the growth processes of 3D tissue structure show a non constant quality. Since theses ASEs are used as testing system for chemicals, pharmaceuticals or cosmetics it is of major interest to know detailed and significant characteristics about each individual ASE. Until now, the microscopic analysis process is based on the destructive preparation of histologies allowing only the characterization on a random basis. In this study we present analytical methods to characterise each individual ASE by Optical Coherence Tomography OCT in combination with image processing tools. Therefore, we developed a fully automated OCT device, that performs automatic measurements of microtiter plates MTPs holing the ASEs in a sterile environment. We developed image processing algorithms to characterize the surface structure which may function as an indicator for defects in the epidermal stratum corneum. Further, we analysed the tomographic morphological structure of the ASEs. The results show, that variances in the growth state as well different collagen formation is detectable. In combination with dynamic threshold levels, we found, that OCT is a well suited technology for automatically characterizing artificial skin equivalents and may partly substitute the preparation of histologies.