An Improved Humanized Mouse Model for Excisional Wound Healing Using Double Transgenic Mice

Area of Science:

• Regenerative Medicine
• Animal Models of Disease
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Splinting full-thickness cutaneous wounds in mice creates a humanized model for studying wound healing.
• Assessing epithelialization and wound closure time macroscopically has been a significant challenge in these models.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a novel technique for accurately determining wound healing time in mice.
• To improve the macroscopic evaluation of wound closure using fluorescence imaging.

Main Methods:

• Crossbreeding K14-Cre and ROSA^mT/mG reporter mice to create double transgenic mice.
• Creating full-thickness excisional wounds and imaging them with normal and fluorescent light.
• Utilizing blinded observers to assess wound closure and histological analysis for confirmation.

Main Results:

• Wound closure was rated significantly faster using fluorescent light compared to normal light (11.6 vs. 13.6 postoperative days).
• Histological analysis confirmed complete reepithelialization by 12 days postwounding.
• The novel fluorescence imaging technique enhanced the accuracy of macroscopic wound healing assessment.

Conclusions:

• The K14-Cre/ROSA^mT/mG mouse model combined with fluorescence imaging offers a significant advancement in evaluating wound healing in mice.
• This method provides a more accurate and reliable assessment of wound closure time in vivo.
• The technique addresses the challenge of macroscopic visualization in mouse wound healing models.