Sensitive quantification of skin barrier properties in vitro

Recently, a Radboudumc study indicated the feasibility of electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) for quantitative and longitudinal measurements of skin barrier function in 3D human skin cultures named human epidermal equivalents (HEEs).

Researchers Noa van den Brink and Felicitas Pardow, together with colleagues from the Department of Dermatology, the University of Rochester (Rochester, NY, USA), and Locsense (Enschede, The Netherlands), examined that barrier development, defects and repair in in vitro skin models can be monitored using electrical impedance spectroscopy. 

In current literature, skin barrier function is mainly analyzed qualitatively by visualizing penetrating chemicals or fluorescent dyes. EIS measures electric impedance of cell culture models as a proxy for barrier function. Using keratinocyte cell lines that were genetically altered to be deficient of important barrier proteins, like filaggrin, the aryl hydrocarbon receptor, and claudin1, the feasibility of EIS to measure barrier disruptions was validated.

Implications for skin organ culture field

Where traditional skin organ cultures need to be sacrificed for qualitative analysis of its barrier function, impedance spectroscopy allows for quantitative, longitudinal, and consecutive barrier measurements. This important advantage allows researchers to obtain non-invasive and real-time information on the development of skin organoid cultures and will help to ascertain the optimal experimental conditions for readout.

Towards in vitro testing of skin emollients

Skin models can be used to mimic inflammatory diseases by incorporating disease associated proinflammatory cytokines into the cell culture protocol. Cytokines decrease EIS values while therapeutic molecules in combination with pro-inflammatory cytokines restore EIS values, in line with molecular and histological findings. This approach can be adapted using EIS to study other skin emollients and their effect on inflammatory skin conditions.

This research is part of Radboudumc Research program: Chronic inflammatory diseases

About the publication

Van den Brink NJM, Pardow F, Meesters LD, Ivonne van Vlijmen-Willems IMJJ, Rodijk-Olthuis D, Niehues H, Jansen PAM, Roelofs SH, Brewer MG, Van den Bogaard EH, Smits JPH. Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy quantifies skin barrier function in organotypic in vitro epidermis models. J Invest Dermatol. 2024 Nov; 144, 2488-2500; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jid.2024.03.038