Skin wound healing in axolotls: a scarless process. 2010

Mathieu Lévesque, and Eric Villiard, and Stéphane Roy
Department of Biochemistry, Université de Montréal, succursale Centre-Ville, Montréal, QC, Canada.

Urodele amphibians, such as the axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum), have the unique faculty among vertebrates to regenerate lost appendages (limbs and tail) and other body parts (apex of the heart, forebrain and jaw) after amputation. Interestingly, axolotls never seem to form scar tissue at the site of amputation once regeneration is completed. Before now, very few studies were directly focused on the description of the events happening during wound healing after a skin injury in salamanders. In this paper, we directly investigated skin wound healing after excisional wounding which removed the epidermis, dermis and basement membrane in the axolotl. Axolotls were wounded with a 1.5-mm skin biopsy punch. Results show rapid re-epithelialization of the wound within 8 hrs after wounding. Histological analysis of wound healing confirmed the absence of tissue fibrosis throughout the process and shows that skin integrity is re-established by 90 days after wounding. Results also reveal the absence of neutrophils in the wound area, suggestive of a lack of or low inflammatory response. The expression of proteins central to wound healing seemed different than in mammals as α-smooth muscle actin was absent and transforming growth factor β-1 was only transiently expressed during wound healing in the axolotl. Finally, subcutaneous injections of bleomycin were performed to verify whether the induction of scar tissue was possible in axolotls. Surprisingly, results show that axolotls are not resistant to bleomycin-induced tissue fibrosis, but the resulting scar tissue does not seem to contain significant amounts of collagen.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D009504 Neutrophils Granular leukocytes having a nucleus with three to five lobes connected by slender threads of chromatin, and cytoplasm containing fine inconspicuous granules and stainable by neutral dyes. LE Cells,Leukocytes, Polymorphonuclear,Polymorphonuclear Leukocytes,Polymorphonuclear Neutrophils,Neutrophil Band Cells,Band Cell, Neutrophil,Cell, LE,LE Cell,Leukocyte, Polymorphonuclear,Neutrophil,Neutrophil Band Cell,Neutrophil, Polymorphonuclear,Polymorphonuclear Leukocyte,Polymorphonuclear Neutrophil
D001761 Bleomycin A complex of related glycopeptide antibiotics from Streptomyces verticillus consisting of bleomycin A2 and B2. It inhibits DNA metabolism and is used as an antineoplastic, especially for solid tumors. BLEO-cell,Blanoxan,Blenoxane,Bleolem,Bleomicina,Bleomycin A(2),Bleomycin A2,Bleomycin B(2),Bleomycin B2,Bleomycin Sulfate,Bleomycins,Bleomycinum Mack,Bléomycine Bellon,BLEO cell,BLEOcell,Bellon, Bléomycine,Mack, Bleomycinum,Sulfate, Bleomycin
D002921 Cicatrix The fibrous tissue that replaces normal tissue during the process of WOUND HEALING. Scars,Cicatrization,Scar,Scarring
D005355 Fibrosis Any pathological condition where fibrous connective tissue invades any organ, usually as a consequence of inflammation or other injury. Cirrhosis,Fibroses
D005786 Gene Expression Regulation Any of the processes by which nuclear, cytoplasmic, or intercellular factors influence the differential control (induction or repression) of gene action at the level of transcription or translation. Gene Action Regulation,Regulation of Gene Expression,Expression Regulation, Gene,Regulation, Gene Action,Regulation, Gene Expression
D000558 Ambystoma mexicanum A salamander found in Mexican mountain lakes and accounting for about 30 percent of the urodeles used in research. The axolotl remains in larval form throughout its life, a phenomenon known as neoteny. Axolotl,Mexican Salamander,Ambystoma mexicanums,Axolotls,Salamander, Mexican,mexicanums, Ambystoma
D000818 Animals Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA. Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D000903 Antibiotics, Antineoplastic Chemical substances, produced by microorganisms, inhibiting or preventing the proliferation of neoplasms. Antineoplastic Antibiotics,Cytotoxic Antibiotics,Antibiotics, Cytotoxic
D012867 Skin The outer covering of the body that protects it from the environment. It is composed of the DERMIS and the EPIDERMIS.
D013997 Time Factors Elements of limited time intervals, contributing to particular results or situations. Time Series,Factor, Time,Time Factor

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