Silicone gel sheet

Twenty mice were randomly assigned to four groups, and 5 mice were included in each group. 0.5 cm × 0.8 cm piece of dorsal skin were dermabraded using an automatic nail polish tool equipped with a diamond cone to create split-thickness skin defects. The skin wounds were then covered with 1 cm × 1.5 cm 1: 5 cell-C/G composite (group I), 1: 10 cell-C/G composite (group II), cell-C/G composite w/o melanocytes (group III), C/G matrix w/o cell (group IV) with the cell side facing downward, followed by a 2 cm × 2 cm size silicone gel sheet (Smith & Nephew, London, UK) to prevent migration of matrix and retain topical moisture. Skin color was monitored once a week until the onset of pigmentation, or 8 weeks post-dermabrasion, the terminal time point, even w/o pigmentation.

To generate continuous and uniformly distributed negative pressure on the dorsal skin of swine, a clear plastic dome was applied to the dorsum (Fig 1a). The ETED was selected to provide a better fit for the back of the swine. The size of the suction cup is 3.5 cm in diameter and 5 cm in height. The edges of the ETED were fitted with a silicone gel sheet (Smith & Nephew, Memphis, Tennessee) to reduce the risk of pressure sores. A negative pressure of 70 mmHg was applied through a customized device, which was composed of a pump, pressure meter, 4 branches of tubes and 4 suction cups (Fig 1b). The pump provided continuous negative pressure for the time needed for the experimental design, and the pressure meter allowed accurate monitoring of the pressure. The suction cups were applied on the skin tissue on the dorsum of swine (Fig 1c).