Wound size and gestational age modulate scar formation in fetal wound repair

MicroRNA Profiling in Mid- and Late-Gestational Fetal Skin: Implication for Scarless Wound Healing

“…Previous reports have demonstrated that fetal scarless healing is primarily dependent on both gestational age and wound size (Cass et al 1997). The transition process from scarless phenotype to scarring phenotype of fetal skin has been well documented in several animal models, for example from embryonic sixteenth day (E16) to nineteenth day (E19) in mice (Beanes et al 2002;Colwell et al 2006a).…”

Intra-uterine tissue engineering of full-thickness skin defects in a fetal sheep model

“…Therefore we investigated the formation of ECM and the amount of contraction in time. Previously, a fetal sheep model has shown that the transition period from scarless to healing with scar formation in sheep occurs between 100 and 120 days [3]. However, fetal skin repair is not only dependant on gestational age, but also on the size of the defect.…”

“…During the third trimester a transition from scarless repair to fibrotic repair occurs, which is comparable to adult wound healing with more inflammation and fibrosis [2]. However, the ability of the fetus to heal full-thickness wounds without fibrosis depends on the size of the defect, independent of the gestational age [3].…”

Fetal wound healing using a genetically modified murine model: the contribution of P-selectin

“…However, fetal wounds across many species have consistently shown an absent inflammatory response, which suggests that tissue repair is not dependent on inflammatory cells (7,18). In fact, when fetal wounds are maximally stimulated, such as with a large injury, bacteria or pro-inflammatory cytokines, they are able to mount a robust inflammatory response which is followed by fibrosis (19)(20)(21)(22). Therefore, the presence of inflammation potentially plays a key role in fibrosis, and ultimately in scar formation.…”