Surgical model for in vivo evaluation of cultured epidermal sheets in mice.

The objective of this study was to establish a novel surgical model for the grafting of cultured epidermal sheets in mice in order to optimize studies on the behavior of these grafts. Graft-related skin immunology and wound-healing studies also would benefit from this adapted surgical approach. Adapted tie-over surgical procedures were established for mice and promptly applied. Early-stage observation of grafts was made possible by replacing the cotton dressing with a saddle-like plastic tube dressing with a screw cap. We grafted normal Balb/c mice and athymic nude (nu/nu) mice with cultured human epidermis. Evaluation of graft rejection was carried out with the first group, whereas the second provided information on epidermal stratification and terminal differentiation. This innovation permitted direct evaluation of the grafted tissue at any time. Advances in applied transplantation research will certainly provide additional tools for human applications.