Epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity (EMP) in wound healing: Exploring EMT mechanisms, regulatory network, and therapeutic opportunities

Abstract

Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), a process by which epithelial cells acquire mesenchymal cell characteristics, is well recognized for its critical role in development, wound healing, tissue fibrosis, and cancer progression. During wound healing, keratinocytes undergo a partially reversible EMT process to promote migration and re-epithelialization. In this paper, we review the regulatory roles of key signaling pathways (TGF-β, Wnt/β-catenin, Notch) and core transcription factors (Snail, Slug, Twist) in EMT, explore the parallels between re-epithelialization and EMT, and outline recent therapeutic advances and future developments targeting EMT in wound healing. In addition, we call for the adoption of the term “epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity” (EMP) to more accurately describe the dynamic processes that occur during keratinocyte migration and re-epithelialization.

Keywords

• Epithelial-mesenchymal transition
• Epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity
• Wound healing
• Therapeutic prospects
• Research advance