Deepithelialized skin diffusion cell system

Abstract

A deepithelialized skin cell diffusion system which can be used to select topical gel and cream formulations containing human other wound healing promoters such as plasma fibronectin. The formulations provide slow release and increased contact time of fibronectin or other wound healing promoters to the wound site leading to its effective absorption.

I claim:  
     
         1 . A deepithelialized skin diffusion cell system comprising: 
 a donor compartment;    a receptor compartment; and    a deepithelialized skin sample having a deepithelialized side and a dermal side, wherein the skin sample is placed so that the deepithelialized side faces into the donor compartment and the dermal side faces into the receptor compartment.    
     
     
         2 . The deepithelialized skin diffusion cell system according to    claim 1   , wherein the deepithelialized skin sample is a human skin sample from which a 8 μm section of the epidermal surface has been removed.  
     
     
         3 . The deepithelialized skin diffusion cell system according to    claim 1   , wherein the receptor compartment is connected to a circulating buffer circuit containing a buffer solution.  
     
     
         4 . The deepithelialized skin diffusion cell system according to    claim 3   , wherein the buffer solution is maintained at 37° C. and the deepithelialized skin side is maintained at 32° C.  
     
     
         5 . An aqueous gel formulation for topical wound healing having an Abs value greater than 7.8, the Abs value being the percentage of labelled wound healing promoter absorbed after 12 hours in the diffusion cell system according to    claim 1   , comprising: 
 an effective wound healing amount of a wound healing promoter and    a water soluble, pharmaceutically acceptable carrier having a viscosity within the range of about 50,000 to about 1,000,000 cps at room temperature.    
     
     
         6 . The aqueous gel formulation according to    claim 5   , wherein the formulation has an Abs value of at least about 13.4.  
     
     
         7 . The aqueous gel formulation according to    claim 5   , wherein the wound healing promoter includes at least one extracellular matrix protein selected from the group consisting of fibronectin, thrombospondin, laminin, vitronectin and fibrinogen.  
     
     
         8 . The aqueous gel formulation according to    claim 5   , wherein the wound healing promoter includes at least one growth factor.  
     
     
         9 . A deepithelialized skin diffusion cell system comprising: 
 a donor compartment;    a receptor compartment; and    a deepithelialized skin sample having a deepithelialized side and a dermal side, the deepithelialized skin sample being a human skin sample from which a 8 μm section of the epidermal surface has been removed, wherein the skin sample is placed so that the deepithelialized side faces into the donor compartment and the dermal side faces into the receptor compartment.    
     
     
         10 . A deepithelialized skin sample for use in a diffusion cell system according to    claim 1   .  
     
     
         11 . The deepithelialized skin sample according to    claim 10    comprising a human skin sample from which a 8 μm section of the epidermal surface has been removed.