Skin Diseases in Laboratory Mice: Approaches to Drug Target Identification and Efficacy Screening

Abstract

A large variety of mouse models for human skin, hair, and nail diseases are readily available from investigators and vendors worldwide. Mouse skin is a simple organ to observe lesions and their response to therapy, but identifying and monitoring the progress of treatments of mouse skin diseases can still be challenging. This chapter provides an overview on how to use the laboratory mouse as a preclinical tool to evaluate efficacy of new compounds or test potential new uses for compounds approved for use for treating an unrelated disease. Basic approaches to handling mice, applying compounds, and quantifying effects of the treatment are presented.

Dermal Toxicity Studies

“…The truncal pigmentation of rodents is entirely dependent on their follicular melanocytes. Pigment production is active only during the follicle growth (anagen) phase (Park et al 2007;Sundberg et al 2010;Sundberg and Silva 2012). In pigmented mice, rapid hair regrowth after clipping is grossly evident as dark gray/black discoloration of the skin ( Figure 5) due to hair follicles entering the anagen phase.…”

Examination of endothelial cell‐induced epidermal regeneration in a mice‐based chimney wound model

“…Current studies including our previous report involve the use of rodents due to its simplicity and mammalian structure. However, unlike human wounds that heal via re‐epithelialization and granulation tissue formation, skin in mice uniquely possess a panniculus carnosus layer which enables the skin to slide and retract over subcutaneous fascia for prompt contraction of the upper strata epidermis . This rapid initiation of primary closure can exaggerate the rate of re‐epithelialization, making histological assessment less adequate .…”