The Fibroblast and Wound Repair

Summary This review of connective tissue repair has attempted to place into historical perspective information obtained by newer approaches. The literature review is incomplete, as it was unfortunately necessary to leave many interesting studies out of the discussion. Emphasis has been placed upon what is known of the inflammatory response, the fine structure of the connective tissue cells in healing wounds and with correlated chemical findings in these tissues. An optimal inflammatory response appears to be an important, rapid, non‐specific stimulus for fibroplasia. It is not clear how inflammation exerts this effect. The inflammatory cells and their enzymes markedly alter the extracellular matrix of injured tissue. The matrix of connective tissue may itself participate in the control of its own synthesis and degradation. It is possible that modification of this environment by injury and/or inflammation with ensuing matrix alteration may provide a stimulus for cell migration and protein synthesis. The converse may also be true, that is, a given level of matrix concentration may have an inhibitory effect upon the connective tissue cells. The inter‐relationships between the connective tissue matrix and the cells, and the possibilities of feedback mechanisms playing a role in maintaining a balance between these two are important areas for future investigation. In this regard, additional questions may be asked concerning the role of the fibroblast in remodelling and degradation of connective tissue. It is not yet clear how important a balance between collagenolytic enzymes and the solubility states, or stability, of collagen are in each connective tissue. It will be interesting to determine which cells make collagenolytic and/or proteolytic enzymes upon appropriate stimulus. It is possible to distinguish between the fibroblast and the monocyte, or potential macrophage with the electron microscope. The rough endoplasmic reticulum with its large numbers of attached ribosomes is extensively developed in the fibroblast in contrast to the monocyte. The endoplasmic reticulum sequesters collagen precursors and other secretory proteins for transport either directly to the extracellular space, as appears to be the case for collagen, or to the Golgi complex as is the case for other exportable proteins. Collagen precursors are secreted into the environment and are not shed from within the cell surface. A number of cytoplasmic alterations have been described for fibroblasts and other cells during various pathological states. The significance of these alterations is not clear. It will be important to distinguish between specific and non‐specific responses to injury, if these alterations are to aid us in understanding the various cellular responses. The source of the fibroblasts in granulation tissue appears to be mesenchymal cells from adjacent tissues rather than blood‐borne precursors. Although contact inhibition can be demonstrated in vitro , it is not clear how important this phenomenon is in vivo , nor are the reasons for the ability of some tissues to heal by regeneration rather than by scar tissue formation understood. These and many other questions remain to be answered. The healing wound is multifaceted and presents the opportunity for systematic investigation into the problems of cell proliferation, cell and matrix interactions, and protein synthesis in vivo and it also can help to further our understanding of the ubiquitous fibroblast and its complex extracellular matrix.