KINETICS OF WOUND HEALING IN RABBIT EAR CHAMBERS, A TIME LAPSE CINEMICROSCOPIC STUDY.

Abstract

Wound healing in rabbit ear chambers was studied by time lapse cinemicroscopy. Endothelial cells for the growth of blood vessel sprouts arose in a zone proximal to the growing fringe both by the mitotic division of existing endothelium and by the conservation for re‐use of the endothelium of resorbing blood vessels. The migration of endothelial cells distally along the luminal surfaces of the walls of circulating blood vessels, into the proximal ends of developing blood vessel sprouts, and along the mid part and finally into the tips of blood vessel sprouts was demonstrated. New lumen of sprouts was produced by the formation, enlargement and coalescence of loculated spaces between apposed layers of endothelium. This process was considered to reflect secretory activity of the endothelial cells. Anastomosis between sprouts involved similar lumen formation and the spatial rearrangement of endothelial cells.Evidence supporting the conversion of fibroblasts into smooth muscle cells was obtained. Growth of lymphatic sprouts was also studied. The virtual absence of locomotion by macrophages during wound healing was confirmed and a possible explanation proposed. Mathematical analysis of the data obtained from film analysis revealed that the curves for blood vessel endothelial migration and sprout growth and lymphatic sprout growth were all derivable from the same general pseudo generating mathematical function.