Microscopical study of experimental wound healing in Notothenia coriiceps (Cabeçuda) at 0 degrees C.

Notothenia coriiceps (Cabeçuda) is an Antarctic benthic fish frequently found with lesions in the tegument caused by seal predation. We have investigated epidermal repair in these animals by means of a microscopic study of experimental wound healing at 0 degrees C. At 24--48 h after wound induction, mucous exudate and necrotic lining cells covered the wound. At 7--14 days, an epidermal "tongue" could be discerned, folded at the tip, with intercellular oedema between the tip and the wound border. After 23--30 days, the wound was completely closed and the migrating epidermis, with intercellular oedema, was reduced. By 45--90 days, melanocytes progressively increased in the epidermis but no scales were formed. The inflammatory infiltrate was mainly composed of neutrophils after 7 days, at which time they were mostly replaced by macrophages; lymphocytes and plasma cells were also present. The border epidermis slid towards the centre, folding at the tip and finally fusing to form a diaphragm. The cells of the epidermis began to multiply only after complete closure of the wound. The lack of scale formation on induced and naturally found wounds, even after 90 days, suggests that different mechanisms in wound repair occur at 0 degrees C from those in fish from temperate and tropical environment. This is the first report of successful wound repair at polar temperatures, indicating the adaptation of N. coriiceps to the Antarctic environment.