In vitro engineering of a palatal mucosa equivalent with acellular porcine dermal matrix

The objective of this study was to develop a palatal mucosa equivalent composed of multilayered oral keratinocytes grown on the acellular porcine dermal matrix. Acellular porcine dermal matrix was prepared through a series of procedures and assessed by histological, imnumohistochemical, and scanning electron microscopy examination. The palatal mucosa equivalent was fabricated by seeding oral keratinocytes, which cultured from human palate mucosa, onto the acellular dermal matrix. After 4 days submerged in medium, this composite was raised to the air-liquid interface for another 7 or 14 days of cultivation. The results demonstrated the processed porcine dermal matrix was totally cell-free. The resultant palatal mucosa equivalent showed a multilayered oral epithelium that had been formed, and the number of cell layers was correlated with the culture period at the air-liquid interface. Oral keratinocytes infiltrated into the empty hair follicles of the acellular porcine dermal matrix and formed an anchor-like structure, which exhibited resemblance to the rete ridges of the native palate mucosa. Immunohistochemical staining for CK10/13, CK19, Ki-67 nuclear antigen, and Heparan sulphate indicated the cultured palatal mucosa equivalent shared the same characteristics with that of the native palate mucosa. In conclusion, our fabricated palatal mucosa equivalent exhibited the characteristics of the native counterpart, and this equivalent might be useful for recovery of the wounds in the palate secondary to palatoplasty. (C) 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.