Abstracts Category : Other

Acomys vs. Mus: Epidermis Layer Differentiation and Stem Cells in Wound Healing

by Jorden Nicole Holland

A major problem in human wound healing is scar tissue formation, especially in the case of burn victims. However, a mammal called the African spiny mouse could change human wound healing for the better. The spiny mouse is capable of regenerating its skin, and other tissues, back to a functional state without any scar tissue. The method by which the spiny mouse is able to regenerate is currently unknown, so we carried out a comparison study between spiny mice and CD1 laboratory mice to uncover differences that could aid in the discovery of how spiny mice regenerate. We focused on the epithelium, basal lamina, and hair follicle stem cells in both species of mice over the course of 20 days. To study these components, we used a variety of immunohistochemistry, light microscopy, and fluorescence microscopy techniques. Our results were very surprising and lead us to believe that spiny mice have a unique method of wound healing that does not align with mammalian wound healing or regeneration in non-mammalian organisms. The differences we found should contribute to the limited information available on the spiny mouse, and with further study, there is the very real possibility of implementing the spiny mouse method of regeneration in human health care. ( en )