Light Microscopic Examination of Tissue Regeneration and Early Angiogenesis in Axolotl (<i>Ambystoma mexicanum</i>) Salamanders

Abstract Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) stimulates blood vessel growth, which plays a fundamental role in bone formation, wound healing, and development. The role of VEGF and vessel growth during early regeneration, however, is not as well understood. Axolotls (Ambystoma mexicanum) can regenerate identical portions of lost tissue. This study uses these model organisms to assess the extent to which blood vessel formation can be pharmacologically enhanced using a VEGF inducer and the impact this may have on the regeneration of other tissue types. Larvae were exposed to the drug GS4012, known to be a potent inducer of VEGF-driven blood vessel formation in other species. Live animals were then imaged using light microscopy to assess vessel regrowth during early regeneration. GS4012 modestly enhanced vascularization but did not significantly influence overall tissue regeneration. The results suggest that early regeneration in this species, unlike wound healing in mammals, is not enhanced by increasing vascularity.