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Uccelli_2026_Springer_s41598-026-49055-4
Journal article

High-yield isolation and characterization of microvascular niche cells from human full-thickness skin biopsies

  • Uccelli, Andrea ORCID Institute for Translational Research (IRT), Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Università della Svizzera italiana (USI) and Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale (EOC), Switzerland - Euler Institute (EUL), Università della Svizzera italiana, Switzerland
  • Cenciarini, Mattia ORCID Institute for Translational Research (IRT), Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Università della Svizzera italiana (USI) and Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale (EOC), Switzerland - Euler Institute (EUL), Università della Svizzera italiana, Switzerland
  • Colombo, Valentina Institute for Translational Research (IRT), Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Università della Svizzera italiana (USI) and Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale (EOC), Switzerland - Euler Institute (EUL), Università della Svizzera italiana, Switzerland - Servizio di Ortopedia e Traumatologia, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale, Lugano, CH, Switzerland
  • Zamboni, Chiara ORCID Institute for Translational Research (IRT), Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Università della Svizzera italiana (USI) and Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale (EOC), Switzerland - Euler Institute (EUL), Università della Svizzera italiana, Switzerland
  • Valentino, Damiano Institute for Translational Research (IRT), Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Università della Svizzera italiana (USI) and Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale (EOC), Switzerland - Euler Institute (EUL), Università della Svizzera italiana, Switzerland - Servizio di Ortopedia e Traumatologia, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale, Lugano, CH, Switzerland
  • Harder, Yves Servizio di Chirurgia Plastica, Ricostruttiva ed Estetica, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale, Lugano, Switzerland - Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery and Hand Surgery, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland - Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne (UNIL), Switzerland
  • Arrigoni, Chiara ORCID Institute for Translational Research (IRT), Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Università della Svizzera italiana (USI) and Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale (EOC), Switzerland - Euler Institute (EUL), Università della Svizzera italiana, Switzerland - Servizio di Ortopedia e Traumatologia, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale, Lugano, CH, Switzerland
  • Moretti, Matteo ORCID Institute for Translational Research (IRT), Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Università della Svizzera italiana (USI) and Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale (EOC), Switzerland - Euler Institute (EUL), Università della Svizzera italiana, Switzerland - Servizio di Ortopedia e Traumatologia, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale, Lugano, CH, Switzerland - Cell and Tissue Engineering Laboratory, IRCCS Ospedale Galeazzi – Sant’Ambrogio, Milano, Italy
  • Bersini, S. ORCID Institute for Translational Research (IRT), Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Università della Svizzera italiana (USI) and Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale (EOC), Switzerland - Euler Institute (EUL), Università della Svizzera italiana, Switzerland - Servizio di Ortopedia e Traumatologia, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale, Lugano, CH, Switzerland
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  • 2026
Published in:
  • Scientific Reports. - 2026, vol. 16, no. 1, p. 18472
Microvascular niche
Cell isolation protocol
Human dermal vasculature
Donor-matched 3D microvascular models
English The development of physiologically relevant in vitro vascular models requires access to the cellular components of the microvascular niche. However, most studies rely on a limited subset of vascular or support cells, often using pooled, immortalized, or non-adult sources. To address this limitation, a protocol was developed for the simultaneous isolation of human dermal blood endothelial cells (HDBECs), lymphatic endothelial cells (HDLECs), fibroblasts (HDFs), and pericytes (HDPCs) from adult skin biopsies. Biopsies (25–100 cm²) from donors (age 28–67) were processed using enzymatic and mechanical dissociation, followed by FACS with lineage- and exclusion-specific markers. Purity and identity were verified by flow cytometry and immunofluorescence, and functionality tested in 3D fibrin gels. The protocol yielded all four cell types with high efficiency. Endothelial populations exhibited CD31 and ERG expression, with HDLECs displaying higher PDPN and PROX1 than HDBECs. Support cells showed distinct morphologies, and differences in CD49a and FSP1 enabled discrimination between HDFs and HDPCs. In 3D gels, both endothelial populations formed vascular-like networks with matched support cells. We report a robust method to isolate phenotypically distinct HDBECs, HDLECs, HDFs, and HDPCs from adult skin, supporting the generation of donor-matched microvascular models for aging research, disease modeling, and personalized therapeutic screening.
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Language
  • English
Classification
Medicine
License
CC BY-NC-ND
Open access status
gold
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Persistent URL
https://n2t.net/ark:/12658/srd1336428
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