Can collagen metabolism be controlled?

The rate of repair of severely burned tissue may be limited by the availability of both non-damaged connective tissue cells and factors which control their movement and proliferation. Supplementation of wounds with chemotactic and growth factors contained in a matrix support may be useful in accelerating the healing of these wounds. Addition of dermal fibroblasts to this matrix may also be beneficial in preventing the formation of contracted scars. Future studies directed at identifying and isolating these factors and testing their efficiency in in vivo wound systems should prove useful in developing new approaches to severe wound care and for individuals who suffer from poor wound healing such as diabetics or aged people.