Rat models of skin wound healing

Abstract

Rats provide an excellent model for skin wound healing by allowing the standardization of the type, size, shape, and depth of the wound injury, which facilitates comparison of data between studies of healing in all mammalian species. The rat is often selected for skin wound-healing models because of its ready availability, low cost, and small size, which result in a more economical and efficient use of limited laboratory space and housing facilities. Despite species differences, the availability of animals with well-defined health and genetic backgrounds along with a bounty of literature documenting biological responses and parameters for rats allows the rat to serve as a valuable research tool in the search for faster, stronger, and more anatomically correct wound healing with the ultimate goal of exact skin replacement. © 2008 Humana Press Inc.