Figure 11. Summary of wound healing processes comparing axolotls and mammals.

The x-axis represents time and the y-axis represents percent maximal response for each process. Information for mammals has been approximated from the literature and from our own experiments with 4mm FTE wounds in mice. Colors represent individual processes overlapping across the three phases of wound healing; inflammation, new tissue formation and tissue remodeling. Comparing paedomorphic and metamorphic axolotls, metamorphs exhibited an increased hemostatic response, slower re-epithelialization, increased early inflammatory response, increased and prolonged deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM) and an almost doubling in the time required for complete skin regeneration. Comparing scar-free healing in terrestrial axolotls to scar formation in mammals, terrestrial axolotls exhibited a reduced hemostatic response, lower neutrophil levels, faster re-epithelialization rate, delay in ECM production, differences in the relative composition of the new ECM, regeneration of glands and dermis regeneration instead of scarring. Schematic for mammals is adapted from Mikael Häggström.