Increased epidermal deoxyribonuclease I activity after clipping or plucking of hair and during wound healing

An increase in extracellular epidermal DNase I occurs after slight to severe trauma to skin and appears to be generally associated with an inflammatory response including epidermal cell proliferation, rather than cell death. It precedes or accompanies the epidermal hyperplasia which occurs during healing of superficial wounds and regrowth of hair. It is suggested that extracellular epidermal DNase I is primarily of humoral origin and its increase after skin trauma results from increased vascular permeability and diffusion of a DNase I-inhibitor complex into the epidermis where the inhibitor is ultimately inactivated or destroyed.