Experimental Method for Creating Skin With Acquired Appendage Dysfunction

This study aimed to develop clinically relevant mouse models to study acquired dysfunction of skin appendages, such as hair follicles and sweat glands, without underlying genetic causes. Two approaches were evaluated: keratinocyte transplantation and skin grafting at varying thicknesses. In the keratinocyte transplantation model, GFP-expressing keratinocytes were transplanted into ulcers on nude mice, resulting in re-epithelialization with minimal skin appendages, but the grafted cells contributed to only 1.31% of the area. In the skin-grafting model, donor skin from GFP transgenic mice was grafted onto nude mice at three thicknesses. The 5/1000-inch grafts remained stable and resulted in a significant reduction in skin appendages, with only 3.73 hair follicles per 5 mm compared to 69.7 in the control group. These models provide valuable tools for researching skin appendage regeneration and offer insights into potential therapeutic strategies for conditions involving skin appendage loss.