Designing a dual-function skin-stretching device with 3D printing for mechanotransduction analysis and scar prevention: A preliminary study

Developing a dual-function skin-stretching device is beneficial for skin mechanotransduction analysis and wound healing applications. In this study, a dual-function skin-stretching device was designed based on three-dimensional (3D) printing, which can be fixed on rat skin for skin stretching and tension-relieving tests. During the skin stretching assay, a piece of skin was pulled outward by applying a mechanical load, the magnitude of which could be studied by force analysis. In the tension-relieving assay, skin wound edges could be pulled to the opposite side to accelerate wound closure. The skin-stretching device could exert forces of varying magnitudes (0.0042–0.0113 N) on the skin, leading to variations in the histological features of the skin epithelium. Western blot indicated that the protein levels of the mechanosensitive molecule yes-associated protein (YAP) were positively associated with the mechanical strength exerted on the skin. The tension-relieving assay demonstrated that the scores and cross-sectional size of skin scars decreased by fixing the skin-stretching device to the skin. Collectively, we developed a skin-stretching device that could potentially exert a dual force on rat skin, providing a potential method to analyze the molecular mechanism of mechanotransduction during stretch-induced skin growth and promote skin wound healing with a minor scar.