Is fetal tissue the only factor responsible for the properties of fetal wound healing?

Fetal skin wounds heal without inflammation, collagen deposition or wound contraction. The mechanism of this process is unknown, but may be unique to fetal cells, the fetal environment, or an combination of both. In order to determine whether fetal cells are the only factor responsible for scarless wound healing, an experimental study was performed on ten cats who were in the last trimester of their pregnancy. Skin grafts were transferred from mother to fetus and fetus to mother. The fetal skin grafted to the mother was biopsied between the eighth and tenth postoperative days and was evaluated histopathologically on days 18–20. Biopsy revealed scar formation in both the fetal grafts in the adult and maternal grafts in the fetus. We can conclude that scarless wound healing in the fetus is not solely due to fetal cells.