The Evolution of Animal Models in Wound Healing Research: 1993-2017

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Regenerative Medicine
• Translational Science

Background:

• Wound healing research relies on diverse models, but species-specific limitations affect human extrapolation.
• Chronic wounds and pathologic scars present significant clinical challenges, driving the need for accurate modeling.
• Advances in Wound Care (AWC) and Wound Repair and Regeneration journals have published extensively on wound healing models.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze trends in species and model utilization for wound healing research over 25 years.
• To identify shifts in modeling approaches and their potential drivers.
• To inform future research by highlighting changes in the fidelity of wound healing models.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of 1,521 original research articles published between 1993-2017 in two leading journals.
• Analysis of 1,665 wound healing models across different species and methodologies (in vivo, in vitro, ex vivo, in silico).
• Comparative analysis of model and species usage between early (1993-1997) and late (2013-2017) periods.

Main Results:

• Human and mouse models saw increased utilization, while rat and rabbit models declined over the 25-year period.
• In vivo modeling remained the most frequent approach, followed by in vitro, ex vivo, and in silico methods.
• Five species (human, mouse, rat, pig, rabbit) dominated wound healing research, despite 20 species being used overall.

Conclusions:

• Wound healing research models have evolved significantly, with a notable shift towards human and mouse models.
• Changes in model selection may reflect advancements in techniques, technology, and a deeper understanding of wound repair mechanisms.
• Understanding these trends is crucial for interpreting research findings and advancing the clinical treatment of problematic wounds.