Can host reaction animal models be used to predict and modulate skin regeneration?

The study of host reactions in the biomedical and tissue engineering (TE) fields is a key issue but
somehow set aside where TE constructs are concerned. Every day new biomaterials and TE constructs
are being developed and presented to the scientific community. The combination of cells and biomolecules
with scaffolding materials, as TE constructs, make the isolation and the understanding of the
effect of each one those elements over the overall host reaction difficult. Eventually, all variables influence
the host reaction and the performance of the constructs. For this reason, current assessment
of the in vivo performance of TE constructs follows individual approaches, using specific animal
models to independently provide insights regarding the contribution of the biomaterials/scaffolds
towards the host reaction, and of all the constructs regarding their functionality. Skin wound healing
progress into tissue regeneration or repair is highly dependent on the specificities of the inflammatory
stage, as demonstrated by comparison between fetal and adult mechanisms. Thus, it would be
expected that insights acquired from host tissue reaction evaluation to biomaterials/scaffolds would
be explored to predict healing progression and improve the functionality of skin TE constructs. The
rational of this review is to make a comprehensive analysis of to what extent the knowledge obtained
from the evaluation of in vivo host reactions to implantable biomaterials/scaffolds has been used in
the design of skin TE strategies, by promoting tissue regeneration rather than repair.