Wound healing and collagen formation. II. Fine structure in experimental scurvy.

The sequence encountered in healing skin wounds in scorbutic guinea pigs has been examined by methods of light and electron microscopy. Linear incisions in the skin of female guinea pigs fed a scorbutigenic diet were allowed to heal. The wounds were removed for examination at 1, 3, 5, 9, and 14 days after wounding. The fibroblasts of the scorbutic wounds differ from those of the controls in three major aspects. First, little collagen is present within the intercellular spaces, although small groups of individual collagen fibrils can be found adjacent to some of the fibroblasts; in addition, large amounts of somewhat fibrillar, poorly structured, dense matter are present throughout the extracellular regions. The second alteration consists of large aggregates of intracytoplasmic lipid deposits present within the majority of the fibroblasts. Third, the endoplasmic reticulum of the fibroblasts is altered in form from that of the controls. The profiles of the cisternae are round, non-continuous within the plane of section, and are less extensively developed than in the controls. An increased macrophagic activity of the histiocytes is also described. These changes are discussed in light of the available biochemical data associated with this abnormality of protein synthesis.