title: Fetal wound healing using a genetically modified murine model: the contribution of P-selectin.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  During early gestation, fetal wounds heal with paucity of inflammation and absent scar formation. P-selectin is an adhesion molecule that is important for leukocyte recruitment to injury sites. We used a murine fetal wound healing model to study the specific contribution of P-selectin to scarless wound repair.
  
  
  METHODS
  Linear excisional wounds were created on the dorsa of E15.5 and E17.5 gestation fetuses in wild-type and P-selectin (-/-) mice (term = 19 days). Wounds were harvested at various time-points after wounding and analyzed using histology and immunohistochemistry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The E15.5 wounds in both wild-type and P-selectin (-/-) fetuses healed scarlessly and with minimal inflammation, whereas E17.5 wounds healed with fibrosis and inflammation. However, the scars of the P-selectin (-/-) wounds appeared slightly different than wild-type. There were significantly more inflammatory cells in E17.5 wild-type wounds 6 hours after injury (P < .001), but the difference was no longer significant by 24 hours. Finally, reepithelialization was slower in the E15.5 knockout wounds compared to their wild-type counterparts.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Absence of P-selectin delays inflammatory cell recruitment and reepithelialization of fetal wounds; however, scar formation still occurs in late gestation wounds. The contribution of specific molecules to fetal wound healing can be elucidated using murine knockout or transgenic models.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Surgery, Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery, Section of Leukocyte Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030-2399, USA.
authors.forename: Bindi
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Naik-Mathuria
authors.forename: Andre N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Gay
authors.forename: Ling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Jean E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.forename: C Wayne
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Oluyinka O
authors.initials: OO
authors.lastname: Olutoye
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D002921:Cicatrix / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism; D005355:Fibrosis / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007249:Inflammation / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D015603:Keratinocytes / Q000473:pathology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D023421:Models, Animal; D019007:P-Selectin / Q000378:metabolism*; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology*; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000196:embryology* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D019007:P-Selectin