The anatomy and histology of wound healing following tail loss in the leopard gecko Eublepharis macularius

Abstract

Many lizards are able to voluntarily self‐detach (autotomize) a portion of the tail and then regenerate a functional replacement. Autotomy occurs at an intravertebral fracture plane and ruptures all the major tissue types of the tail, resulting in an open wound with various tissues exposed. The objectives of this study were to investigate the anatomy and histology of tail loss and wound healing in the leopard gecko, Eublepharis macularius. Microcomputed tomography and serial histology reveals the structure of the fracture plane and associated tissues, including a persistent notochord and sphincter muscles of the caudal artery. Following tail loss the remaining skin collapses over the wound site, the spinal cord is retracted into the original tail stump, and a clot is formed. Epithelial cells adjacent to the wound site begin to proliferate and migrate deep to the clot. Once the wound epithelium completely spans the wound site the clot drops off to reveal the developing blastema. Unlike most invasive wounds, fibrous scar tissue is not formed. Ongoing studies of wound healing studies in Eublepharis provide an important complement for ongoing regenerative research by expanding the comparative framework.