Purpose of the review: This manuscript discusses wound healing as a component of epimorphic regeneration and the role of the immune system in this process.
Recent findings: Epimorphic regeneration involves formation of a blastema, a mass of undifferentiated cells capable of giving rise to the regenerated tissues. The apical epithelial cap plays an important role in blastemal formation.
Summary: True regeneration is rarely observed in mammals. With the exception of transgenic strains, tissue repair in mammals usually leads to non-functional fibrotic tissue formation. In contrast, a number of lower order species including planarians, salamanders, and reptiles, have the ability to overcome the burden of scarring and tissue loss through complex adaptations that allow them to regenerate various anatomic structures through epimorphic regeneration. Blastemal cells have been suggested to originate via various mechanisms including de-differentiation, transdifferentiation, migration of pre-existing adult stem cell niches, and combinations of these.
Keywords: blastema; regeneration; “epimorphic regeneration”; “regenerative medicine”; “super-healing organisms”; “wound healing”.