Pericytes in Cutaneous Wound Healing

Most of the studies on cutaneous wound healing are focused on epidermal closure. This is obviously important, as the epidermis constitutes the main barrier that separates the inner organism from the environment. However, dermal remodeling is key to achieve long-lasting healing of the area that was originally wounded. In this chapter, we summarize what is known on the stromal components that strongly influence the outcome of healing and postulate that dedifferentiation of stably differentiated cells plays a major role in the initial response to wounding, as well as in long-term wound remodeling. Specifically, we explore the available evidence implicating skin pericytes, endothelial cells, Schwann cells, and macrophages as major players in a complex symphony of cellular plasticity and signaling events whose balance will promote healing (by tissue regeneration or repair) or fibrosis.