By 6 h post amputation, the wound was 64.0 ± 17.2 % closed compared to 0 h wound area.
Macroscopic, ultrasonic and ultrastructural analyses showed extensive and significant contraction of the wound margins from the earliest time-point, evidenced by tissue puckering. The extent of wound closure was quantified, and the cell and tissue dynamics were observed histologically, by electron microscopy, as well as using ultrasound. MethodsĪdult Octopus vulgaris caught in the Bay of Naples were anaesthetised, the distal 10 % of an arm was surgically amputated, and wounded tissue was harvested from animals sacrificed at 2, 6, and 24 h post-amputation. The regrowth phase of cephalopod arm regeneration has been grossly described however, there is little information about the acute local response that occurs following an amputation injury comparable to that which frequently occurs in the wild. Impressively, octopoda are able to close open wounds in an aquatic environment and can fully regenerate arms. However the natural environment contains numerous threats to the integrity of arms, including predators and prey during capture. Octopoda utilise their arms for a diverse range of functions, including locomotion, hunting, defence, exploration, reproduction, and grooming.
