Separation of human epidermal cells from fibroblasts in primary skin culture.

To obtain pure culture of epidermal cells from small human biopsies, two different techniques were tested and compared, i.e. separation of epidermis from corium before cultivation by trypsin and suction, and after cultivation by trypsin and collagenase. The most active growth of epidermal cells was obtained by the third technique, since short-term trypsin treatment released only fibroblasts from the culture. Crude collagenase (type I) was less effective than trypsin. Collagenase type II, III and IV had no effect on fibroblast release. Neither trypsin nor collagenases dispersed epidermal cells.