Desarrollo de un andamio tridimensional in vitro a base de agarosa para el cultivo de fibroblastos como modelo experimental de piel

Abstract

Testing drugs and substances in the cosmetic industry poses challenges due to the use of in vivo testing on animals and humans, as well as regulations against these practices. As an alternative, there is a great interest in developing 3D in vitro models of human skin that reproduce its characteristics and composition. These models, based on culturing skin cells in hydrogel matrices, would allow evaluating different conditions without using in vivo models. In this project, a two-layered in vitro scaffold was developed using agarose, with the lower layer serving as a support and the upper layer immobilizing cells (fibroblasts) to be evaluated as an experimental in vitro skin model. Tests were conducted to study fibroblast proliferation, along with a pilot study evaluating different cellulose hydrogels. The results showed that cells proliferated, forming 3D spheroids or cell colonies of different sizes after 21 days of culture. The optimal cell density for the model was determined to be 7000 cells/mL. Regarding the cellulose hydrogels, they were deposited on the feeder layer, and spheroid formation was evaluated. Differences in spheroid formation were observed depending on the evaluated cellulose hydrogel, indicating sensitivity to the treatment compared to the controls. The 3D in vitro model allowed for evaluating the behavior of fibroblasts and the cytotoxicity of the cellulose sheets used. However, further evaluations are still required to establish the diffusion dynamics of the tested drugs

Date of Award	May 2023
Original language	Spanish (Colombia)
Awarding Institution	Universidad Autónoma de Bucaramanga Ingeniería Biomédica
Supervisor	Víctor Alfonso Solarte David (Supervisor)