Wound healing and soft tissue regeneration. Literature review

Abstract

The publication provides data from literary sources on the course of reparative processes in soft tissues and healing of skin wounds. The largest organ of the human body is the skin. It performs many extremely important functions. After traumatic damage to the skin, a complex cascade of cellular reactions occurs, which is unique in its nature. Since healing and regeneration processes occur in all parts of the human body, this review focuses on the processes of reparative changes in the skin. The first stage of acute wound healing is devoted to hemostasis and the formation of the previous wound matrix, which occurs immediately after the injury and ends in a few hours. In addition, this phase triggers the processes of an inflammatory reaction, the expressiveness of which depends on individual reactivity, the degree of microbial contamination of the wound, the type and nature of the lesion. Then, the proliferation phase begins, at this stage there is restoration of the wound surface, formation of granulation tissue and restoration of the vasculature. The third and final stage of wound healing is the remodeling phase, which usually begins 2-3 weeks after tissue damage. During this phase, the vessels of the granulation tissue are emptied, the number of fibroblasts sharply decreases, but instead, the number of elastic and, especially, collagen fibers increases. The continuous synthesis and destruction of collagen has the effect of remodeling the mature wound matrix for approximately 6 months after injury. At this stage, the formation and degradation of collagen balance each other, and there are no significant changes in its amount. The remodeling phase is most responsible for the volume of scar tissue formed. The aim of the work is to systematize the current literature data on the healing of soft tissue wounds. Conclusion. The analysis of the given data from the scientific literature shows that the regeneration of soft tissues is a complex process of body reactions that leads to the formation of scar tissue. Many pathophysiological processes underlying reparative reactions are still unknown.