Zoio Patrícia, Oliva Abel
Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica (ITQB), Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Avenida da República, Estação Agronómica Nacional, 2780-157 Oeiras, Portugal.
Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica (IBET), 2781-901 Oeiras, Portugal.
Pharmaceutics. 2022 Mar 21;14(3):682. doi: 10.3390/pharmaceutics14030682.
The increased demand for physiologically relevant in vitro human skin models for testing pharmaceutical drugs has led to significant advancements in skin engineering. One of the most promising approaches is the use of in vitro microfluidic systems to generate advanced skin models, commonly known as skin-on-a-chip (SoC) devices. These devices allow the simulation of key mechanical, functional and structural features of the human skin, better mimicking the native microenvironment. Importantly, contrary to conventional cell culture techniques, SoC devices can perfuse the skin tissue, either by the inclusion of perfusable lumens or by the use of microfluidic channels acting as engineered vasculature. Moreover, integrating sensors on the SoC device allows real-time, non-destructive monitoring of skin function and the effect of topically and systemically applied drugs. In this Review, the major challenges and key prerequisites for the creation of physiologically relevant SoC devices for drug testing are considered. Technical (e.g., SoC fabrication and sensor integration) and biological (e.g., cell sourcing and scaffold materials) aspects are discussed. Recent advancements in SoC devices are here presented, and their main achievements and drawbacks are compared and discussed. Finally, this review highlights the current challenges that need to be overcome for the clinical translation of SoC devices.
对用于测试药物的生理相关体外人体皮肤模型的需求增加，推动了皮肤工程学的重大进展。最有前景的方法之一是使用体外微流控系统来生成先进的皮肤模型，通常称为芯片上的皮肤（SoC）装置。这些装置能够模拟人体皮肤的关键机械、功能和结构特征，更好地模仿天然微环境。重要的是，与传统细胞培养技术不同，SoC装置可以通过包含可灌注腔室或使用充当工程化脉管系统的微流控通道来灌注皮肤组织。此外，在SoC装置上集成传感器可以对皮肤功能以及局部和全身应用药物的效果进行实时、非破坏性监测。在本综述中，考虑了创建用于药物测试的生理相关SoC装置的主要挑战和关键先决条件。讨论了技术（例如，SoC制造和传感器集成）和生物学（例如，细胞来源和支架材料）方面。这里介绍了SoC装置的最新进展，并比较和讨论了它们的主要成就和缺点。最后，本综述强调了SoC装置临床转化需要克服的当前挑战。
