Experimental Burn Induction in Laboratory Animals: A Scoping Review of Methods, Reproducibility, Operator-Dependent Variability, and Relevance to Soft Tissue Reconstruction and Repair

Kyriakopoulos, Antonios; Katsimpoulas, Michalis; Kyriakopoulos, Vasilios; Felekouras, Evangelos; Sakellariou, Stratigoula; Kouris, Ioannis; Charalabopoulos, Alexandros

doi:10.3390/bioengineering13060601

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Experimental Burn Induction in Laboratory Animals: A Scoping Review of Methods, Reproducibility, Operator-Dependent Variability, and Relevance to Soft Tissue Reconstruction and Repair

by

Antonios Kyriakopoulos

^1,*

,

Michalis Katsimpoulas

²

,

Vasilios Kyriakopoulos

³,

Evangelos Felekouras

⁴,

Stratigoula Sakellariou

⁵,

Ioannis Kouris

⁶ and

Alexandros Charalabopoulos

⁴

¹

Plastic Surgery Department, Evaggelismos General Hospital of Athens, 10676 Athens, Greece

²

Experimental Surgery, Regenerative Medicine Preclinical Research, Experimental Surgical Unit, Center of Clinical, Experimental Surgery and Translational Research, Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece

³

Physiotherapy Department, Athens Technological Educational Institute, University of West Attica, 12243 Athens, Greece

⁴

1st Surgical Department, Laiko Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece

⁵

1st Department of Pathology, Medical School, Laiko Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece

⁶

Iodine Therapy Department, General Oncological Hospital of Kifisia “Oi Agioi Anargyroi”, 14564 Athens, Greece

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Bioengineering 2026, 13(6), 601; https://doi.org/10.3390/bioengineering13060601

Submission received: 19 April 2026 / Revised: 14 May 2026 / Accepted: 18 May 2026 / Published: 22 May 2026

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soft Tissue Reconstruction and Repair)

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Abstract

Background: Experimental animal models remain central to burn research and soft-tissue reconstruction/repair, but method heterogeneity compromises reproducibility, comparability, and translation for depth/area endpoints. Objective: We aimed to map burn-induction methods and examine reproducibility, intentional depth modulation, wound-area stability, validation, and operator-dependent variability. Methods: A PRISMA-ScR review, informed by JBI guidance, was conducted without registration but with predefined questions, criteria, and charting domains. PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, and Google Scholar were searched from inception to 30 January 2026. Eligible studies were English peer-reviewed full-text original in vivo animal studies. Two reviewers independently screened records; one charted data, another checked it. Evidence was mapped by modality, exposure-control architecture, validation, and operator-sensitive steps. Results: Studies varied by species, modality, device design, exposure settings, and severity verification. Modalities were contact, scald, steam, and radiant/infrared. Wound area was more reproducible than depth, which depended on temperature, duration, force/pressure, geometry, equilibration, anatomical site, and assessment timing. Histopathology was the main standard, sometimes complemented by morphometry, optical, or perfusion techniques. Operator-sensitive variability involved force, alignment, contact stability, template integrity, exposure geometry, source stability/environmental control. Conclusions: Burn induction is a measurement-system problem; constraining operator-sensitive variables, predefined validation timing, and quantitative variability reporting may improve validity, comparability, and translation.

Keywords: burn injury; animal models; experimental burns; reproducibility; repeatability; operator-dependent variability; burn depth; scoping review; wound healing; thermal injury

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MDPI and ACS Style

Kyriakopoulos, A.; Katsimpoulas, M.; Kyriakopoulos, V.; Felekouras, E.; Sakellariou, S.; Kouris, I.; Charalabopoulos, A. Experimental Burn Induction in Laboratory Animals: A Scoping Review of Methods, Reproducibility, Operator-Dependent Variability, and Relevance to Soft Tissue Reconstruction and Repair. Bioengineering 2026, 13, 601. https://doi.org/10.3390/bioengineering13060601

AMA Style

Kyriakopoulos A, Katsimpoulas M, Kyriakopoulos V, Felekouras E, Sakellariou S, Kouris I, Charalabopoulos A. Experimental Burn Induction in Laboratory Animals: A Scoping Review of Methods, Reproducibility, Operator-Dependent Variability, and Relevance to Soft Tissue Reconstruction and Repair. Bioengineering. 2026; 13(6):601. https://doi.org/10.3390/bioengineering13060601

Chicago/Turabian Style

Kyriakopoulos, Antonios, Michalis Katsimpoulas, Vasilios Kyriakopoulos, Evangelos Felekouras, Stratigoula Sakellariou, Ioannis Kouris, and Alexandros Charalabopoulos. 2026. "Experimental Burn Induction in Laboratory Animals: A Scoping Review of Methods, Reproducibility, Operator-Dependent Variability, and Relevance to Soft Tissue Reconstruction and Repair" Bioengineering 13, no. 6: 601. https://doi.org/10.3390/bioengineering13060601

APA Style

Kyriakopoulos, A., Katsimpoulas, M., Kyriakopoulos, V., Felekouras, E., Sakellariou, S., Kouris, I., & Charalabopoulos, A. (2026). Experimental Burn Induction in Laboratory Animals: A Scoping Review of Methods, Reproducibility, Operator-Dependent Variability, and Relevance to Soft Tissue Reconstruction and Repair. Bioengineering, 13(6), 601. https://doi.org/10.3390/bioengineering13060601

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Experimental Burn Induction in Laboratory Animals: A Scoping Review of Methods, Reproducibility, Operator-Dependent Variability, and Relevance to Soft Tissue Reconstruction and Repair

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