Studying Wound Repair in the Mouse

Animal models of wound healing provide vital insights into the mechanisms and pathophysiology of cutaneous wound repair and are a crucial part of clinical research into the development of new strategies and approaches to rational wound therapy. Although considerable biological variation in the wound healing response exists even among inbred animal strains, consistent surgical procedure and wound analysis can yield significant conclusions. Many different aspects of the healing process can be characterized and quantified in a reproducible, controlled environment. Here, we detail methods for full-thickness excisional and incisional wounding and for analysis of wound biopsies. Curr. Protoc. Mouse Biol. 3:171-185 © 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.