Impact of intercellular crosstalk between epidermal keratinocytes and dermal fibroblasts on skin homeostasis.

Dermal fibroblasts seem critical for epidermal maturation and differentiation and recent work demonstrated that diseased fibroblasts may drive pathophysiological processes. Nevertheless, still very little is known about the actual crosstalk between epidermal keratinocytes and dermal fibroblasts and the impact of dermal fibroblasts on epidermal maturation and differentiation. Aiming for a more fundamental understanding of the impact of the cellular crosstalk between keratinocytes and fibroblasts on the skin homeostasis, we generated full-thickness skin equivalents with and without fibroblasts and subsequently analysed them for the expression of skin differentiation markers, their barrier function, skin lipid content and epidermal cell signalling.

Alternatives to animal testing in basic and preclinical research of atopic dermatitis.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease of increasing prevalence, especially in industrialized countries. Roughly 25% of the children and 1%-3% of adults are affected. Although significant progress has been made in the understanding of the pathogenesis of AD, many aspects remain poorly understood.