Approaches for Regenerative Healing of Cutaneous Wound with an Emphasis on Strategies Activating the Wnt/β-Catenin Pathway

SIGNIFICANCE: In adult mammals, spontaneous repair of a cutaneous wound occurs slowly and leaves a scar with skin adnexa deficiencies. To accelerate cutaneous wound-healing rates and avoid scar formation, current studies have focused on regenerative therapies. RECENT ADVANCES: Emerging therapeutics for regenerative wound healing often focus on the use of growth factors and stem cells. However, these therapeutic approaches have limited routine clinical use due to high costs and technical requirements. CRITICAL ISSUE: Understanding the molecular mechanisms involved in the signaling pathways for cutaneous wound healing and neogenic synthesis of the skin components is important for identification of novel targets for the development of regenerative wound-healing agents. FUTURE DIRECTIONS: The Wnt/β-catenin pathway is a well-known key player for enhancement of the overall healing process involving tissue regeneration via crosstalk with other signaling pathways. Strategies that activate the Wnt/β-catenin pathway via modulation of the pathway-controlling regulatory factors could provide effective therapeutic approaches for regenerative wound healing.