Differential Cutaneous Wound Healing in Thermally Injured MRL/MPJ Mice

This study compared the wound healing responses of MRL/MpJ and BALB/c mice following a 15% total body surface area full-thickness cutaneous burn injury. MRL/MpJ mice exhibited delayed wound closure, increased edema, reduced neutrophil infiltration, and more prominent eschar compared to BALB/c mice. Despite no defects in keratinocyte proliferation and migration, MRL/MpJ wounds showed greater collagen deposition, less granulation tissue, and fewer myofibroblasts, correlating with enhanced angiogenesis. BALB/c wounds contracted sooner and more extensively, resulting in less scar formation. MRL/MpJ mice also displayed abnormalities in hair follicle proliferation and hair regrowth post-injury. The study concluded that MRL/MpJ mice healed with scar formation and delays in wound closure and myofibroblast development, with no substantial tissue regeneration observed in either mouse strain.