Differential Expression of Fibromodulin, a Transforming Growth Factor-Beta Modulator, in Fetal Skin Development and Scarless Repair

The study from August 2000 explored the role of fibromodulin in fetal skin development and scarless repair, using a rat model. It was found that fibromodulin expression was significantly higher in fetal wounds at gestational day 16, which correlated with scarless healing, while its expression was lower at day 19 and in adult wounds, which correlated with scarring. The study concluded that fibromodulin may modulate TGF-β activity and extracellular matrix assembly, influencing scar formation. The findings suggest that increasing fibromodulin levels in adult wounds could potentially lead to reduced scarring, making the healing process more similar to the fetal, scarless repair. The number of fetal rats used in the study was not specified, but the sample size for immunolocalization included 4 fetuses per time point from two separate pregnancies.