Models of Wound Healing

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Abstract
The investigation of wound healing is dependent on the use of various models. This paper reviews several methods used to study wound healing, particularly in regard to connective tissue metabolism. The usefulness and potential pitfalls of cell culture are discussed. Several species of animals have been used as models for human healing, rodents being the most frequently employed. In an attempt to provide better wound tissue sampling from these animals, insertable devices have been developed that allow the ingrowth of healing tissue. Several of these devices are reviewed with reference to their advantages and disadvantages. Connective tissue deposition into wounds can be evaluated by wound strength measurement and hydroxyproline quantitation. Histologic methods are available to evaluate the cellular and matrix details within the wound. Additionally, methods developed in molecular biology are becoming applicable to healing studies and a safe means of investigating collagen metabolism in humans by the use of a stable oxygen isotope is being developed. The study of fetal wound healing provides an excellent example of the utility of many of these methods in achieving an understanding of the biology of this remarkable scarless process.

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