Figure 8.

Morphology of wounds and scars from human HTS-like nude mouse model. Wounds and scar formation were monitored using digital photography at multi-time points after split-thickness human skin grafts were transplanted into full-thickness dorsal excisional wounds in athymic mice, which were treated by CXCR4 antagonist (CTCE-9908) or vehicle control. Throughout the experimental period, human skin grafts remained viable. At 1 week after grafting, the dressings were removed. The grafts were flat, moist, and well vascularized from 2 weeks. Over time, the graft color gradually resembled the surrounding mouse skin. At 8 weeks, the grafts in the control mice started to contract and eventually hypertrophic, firm, contracted, and raised scars developed. Grafts on the CTCE-9908-injected mice remained flat with a limited contraction. To see this illustration in color, the reader is referred to the web version of this article at www.liebertpub.com/wound