Multi-layered cell assembling technology using dielectrophoresis and construction of skin tissue microelement

Abstract

Tissue engineering approach which enables to reconstruct three-dimensional biological tissues becomes important for drug discovery research. In recent years, alternatives to animal tests in toxicology are strongly required because of the ethical problem and the difference of biological response between animal and human. Cell culture tests have a possibility to replace the animal tests, whereas the cell culture model could not simulate three dimensional biological tissue. Therefore, three dimensional tissue array with complex cellular organization have been important for a drug screening. The objective of this study was to establish a multi-layered cell assembling technology by dielectrophoresis (DEP) and to reconstruct multi-layered skin tissue elements under micro scale. Firstly, dermis-derived cells were seeded in collagen-alginate gel beads and trapped on electrodes fabricated in the dielectrophoresis chamber. Epidermis-derived cells were nextly assembled by DEP force to cover the beads and construct multi-layered structure. After the cell accumulation, the multi-layered cell-seeded beads were cultured in vitro to reconstruct the skin tissue element. As the results, the epidermis-derived cells could be accumulated on the gel beads containing dermis-derived cells. Moreover, after the in vitro culture, the epidermis-derived cells adhered and proliferated to cover the gel beads and to reconstruct multi-layered skin tissue structure.