Physical characterization of swine and human skin: Correlations between Raman spectroscopy, Tensile testing, Atomic force microscopy (AFM), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Multiphoton microscopy (MPM)

Abstract

Background: Swine dorsum is commonly utilized as a model for studying skin wounds and assessment of dermatological and cosmetic medicaments. The human abdomen is a common location for dermatological intervention.Objective: This study provides a correlation between spectral, mechanical, and structural characterization techniques, utilized for evaluating human abdominal skin and swine dorsum. Methods: Raman spectroscopy (RS), tensile testing, ballistometry, AFM, SEM, and MPM were utilized to characterize and compare full-thickness skin properties in swine and human model.Results: RS of both species' skin types revealed a similar assignment of vibrations in the fingerprint and the high wavenumber spectral regions. Structural imaging and mechanical characterization using ballistometry and tensile testing displayed differences in the inherent functional properties of human and swine skin. These differences correlated with variations in the Raman peak ratios, collagen intensity measured using SEM and MPM and collagen density measured using AFM. Conclusion:A comprehensive evaluation of swine skin as a suitable substitute for human skin for mechanical and structural comparisons was performed. This data should be considered for better understanding the swine skin model for cutaneous drug delivery and wound applications. Additionally, correlation between RS, tensile testing, AFM, SEM, and MPM was performed as skin characterization tools.

Cuticle architecture and mechanical properties: a functional relationship delineated through correlated multimodal imaging

“…elastic modulus) by a smooth transition and to provide stress relief at the interface between dissimilar materials (i.e., lipid polyester and cell wall polysaccharides) (Liu et al ., 2017). Such structural gradients result in an increased toughness and have been observed in many biological materials such as the dentin-enamel junction in mammalian teeth (Naleway et al ., 2015), the tendon-ligament (Lu & Thomopoulos, 2013), collagen/elastin of skin (Labroo et al ., 2021) and chitin/protein in squid beaks (Miserez et al ., 2008).…”

Polycaprolactone based pharmaceutical nanoemulsion loaded with acriflavine: optimization andin vivoburn wound healing activity

“…A formalin preserved rat skin of control, standard group, and formulation group was cut into 7 cm × 3 cm slices to be analyzed by UTM at Centralized Research Lab at the University of Peshawar. The thickness of the skin was 2.5 mm and a force (KN) of 1 KN till peak load reached to its maximum at speed of 1 mm/minute was applied (Brosh et al., 2004 ; Labroo et al., 2021 ).…”

Properties of Collagen/Sodium Alginate Hydrogels for Bioprinting of Skin Models

“…However, sodium alginate prevents some interactions between collagen fibers resulting in a hydrogel which does not sustain elongation. We compared Col/SA hydrogel, sodium alginate/methylcellulose hydrogel GelMA/sodium alginate hydrogel and human skin tissue [61][62][63]. We found that the mechanical properties of Col/SA hydrogels are at a higher level among current hydrogels, but they are significantly inferior to the mechanical properties of human skin.…”