The role of sympathetic catecholaminergic nerves in wound healing

We postulate that the sympathetic nerve may correlate with the degeneration of regenerated arterial vessels and collagen metabolism during burn wound healing (Kishimoto, Maruo, Ohse et al., 1982). To verify these suggestions, 6-hydroxydopamine, a specific toxin of the sympathetic nerve, was employed in burn-wounded animals. The initial degenerative features of regenerated arterial vessels in the sympathectomized animals could be observed about 2 weeks later than in the untreated animals. Moreover, it seemed evident that the decrease in the number of capillaries during wound healing was elicited by the regeneration of sympathetic nerves. Furthermore, severe dilatation of the capillaries as well as the arterial vessels in the granulation tissue was observed only in the sympathectomized animals until the twenty-first day after burning. In addition, morphological appearances of collagen in the sympathectomized animals significantly differed from those in the untreated animals. The collagen in the former was fine fibrous, while thick collagen fibres were seen in the latter.