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The Contractile Phenotype of Dermal Fetal Fibroblasts in Scarless Wound Healing

  • Wound Healing and Tissue Repair (CC Yates, Section Editor)
  • Published:
Current Pathobiology Reports

Abstract

Purpose of Review

Injured skin in the mammalian fetus can heal regeneratively due to the ability of fetal fibroblasts to effectively reorganize the extracellular matrix (ECM). This process occurs without fetal fibroblasts differentiating into highly contractile myofibroblasts which cause scarring and fibrosis in adult wounds. Here, we provide a brief review of fetal wound healing and the evidence supporting a unique contractile phenotype in fetal fibroblasts. Furthermore, we discuss the biomechanical role of the ECM in driving myofibroblast differentiation in wound healing and the implications for new clinical modalities based on the biophysical properties of fetal fibroblasts.

Recent Findings

We and others have found that fetal fibroblasts are refractory to the environmental stimuli necessary for myofibroblast differentiation in adult wound healing including mechanical stress.

Summary

Understanding the biomechanical mechanisms that regulate the contractile phenotype of fetal fibroblasts may unlock new avenues for anti-scarring therapies that target myofibroblast differentiation of adult fibroblasts.

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge the support provided by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases of the National Institutes of Health under award number R03AR066875 to AP. The content is solely the responsibility of the author and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Otolaryngology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA

    Aron Parekh

  2. Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA

    Aron Parekh

  3. Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA

    Aron Parekh

  4. Department of Cancer Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA

    Aron Parekh

  5. Department of Plastic Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Patricia A. Hebda

  6. Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Patricia A. Hebda

  7. McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Patricia A. Hebda

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  1. Aron Parekh
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Correspondence to Aron Parekh.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Wound Healing and Tissue Repair

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Parekh, A., Hebda, P.A. The Contractile Phenotype of Dermal Fetal Fibroblasts in Scarless Wound Healing. Curr Pathobiol Rep 5, 271–277 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40139-017-0149-3

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