[In vitro model of the re-epithelialization of defects]

Epidermal cells taken from guinea pigs were cultured on collagen in order to study the processes comparable to reepithelialization of wounds by means of time-lapse cinematography and electron microscopy. Attachment and spreading of the cells are essential for the following cell proliferation. Immediately after seeding, the cells move in streams and rotate around their axes. Flattened cells show cytoplasmic streaming and ameboid movement as they continuously alter their shapes (10-25 microns/h). The cells actively form intercellular bridges, which favor the confluence of the cells. In the present study, the phases of attachment, intercellular association, and formation of colonies have been classified and related to the activity of the DNA synthesis, as it was indicated by 3H-thymidine incorporation.