Ghosh, Shramana; Rector, John A.; Saknite, Inga; Smith, Hayden B.; Walsh, Kristy M.; Byram, Brett C.; Bellan, Leon M.; Tkaczyk, Eric R. “mTG-Gelatin phantoms as standardized testbeds for skin biomechanical measurements with Myoton.” Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials, 2024, 106651, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmbbm.2024.106651.
Measuring the mechanical properties of the skin can provide valuable insights into various skin conditions. Researchers have developed a promising tool called Myoton that can quickly and painlessly assess five important aspects of the skin’s mechanics. However, to accurately interpret the results, they needed to create special artificial skin-like samples that are easy to make and cost-effective.
In this study, scientists evaluated the performance of gelatin-based samples, mixed with a natural enzyme called microbial transglutaminase, to mimic human skin for Myoton measurements. They found that the Myoton readings strongly correlated with the elasticity of these samples. Remarkably, the Myoton tool was able to accurately track changes in the mechanical properties of these artificial skin models over time.The researchers also designed more complex models that simulated layers beneath the skin’s surface. By incorporating different layers with varying stiffness, the Myoton device could detect changes caused by the addition of a firm top layer.
Moreover, these gelatin-based models successfully imitated Myoton measurements from both healthy individuals and patients with a condition called sclerotic chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD). This suggests that these artificially created skin models could serve as standardized platforms for studying different types of sclerotic skin conditions in a systematic manner.Understanding the mechanical properties of the skin and how they change in various conditions can greatly contribute to the development of better treatments.
