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World J Exp Med. May 20, 2014; 4(2): 16-26
Published online May 20, 2014. doi: 10.5493/wjem.v4.i2.16
Wound healing reaction: A switch from gestation to senescence
Maria-Angeles Aller, Jose-Ignacio Arias, Luis-Alfonso Arraez-Aybar, Carlos Gilsanz, Jaime Arias
Maria-Angeles Aller, Jaime Arias, Surgery Department, School of Medicine, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Jose-Ignacio Arias, General Surgery Unit, Monte Naranco Hospital, Monte Naranco Hospital, Oviedo, Asturias, 33012 Oviedo, Spain
Luis-Alfonso Arraez-Aybar, Department of Human Anatomy and Embryology II, School of Medicine, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Carlos Gilsanz, General Surgery Unit, Sureste Hospital, Arganda del Rey, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Author contributions: Arias JI and Gilsanz C revised the bibliography about wound healing; Arraez-Aybar LA revised the mechanisms involved in embryonic development; Aller MA and Arias JI integrated all the revised knowledge and wrote the final version of the manuscript.
Correspondence to: Jaime Arias, MD, PhD, Surgery Department, School of Medicine, Complutense University of Madrid, Plaza Ramón y Cajal s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain. jariasp@med.ucm.es
Telephone: +34-91-3941388 Fax: +34-91-3947115
Received: June 5, 2013
Revised: February 28, 2014
Accepted: March 13, 2014
Published online: May 20, 2014
Processing time: 379 Days and 18.7 Hours
Abstract

The repair of wounded tissue during postnatal life could be associated with the upregulation of some functions characteristic of the initial phases of embryonic development. The focusing of these recapitulated systemic functions in the interstitial space of the injured tissue is established through a heterogeneous endothelial barrier which has excretory-secretory abilities which in turn, would induce a gastrulation-like process. The repair of adult tissues using upregulated embryonic mechanisms could explain the universality of the inflammatory response against injury, regardless of its etiology. However, the early activation after the injury of embryonic mechanisms does not always guarantee tissue regeneration since their long-term execution is mediated by the host organism.

Keywords: Wound healing; Repair; Embryonic mechanisms; Vitelline; Amniotic

Core tip: In this review, we propose an integrative molecular point of view about wound healing. Wound healing could be associated with the upregulation of functions characteristic of embryonic development. The repair of adult tissues using upregulated embryonic mechanisms could explain the ubiquity of the inflammatory response against injury, regardless of its etiology.