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Wound healing in the fetus. Possible role for inflammatory macrophages and transforming growth factor-beta isoforms. Wound repair and regeneration Longaker, M. T., Bouhana, K. S., Harrison, M. R., DANIELPOUR, D., ROBERTS, A. B., Banda, M. J. 1994; 2 (2): 104-112

Abstract

Macrophages are believed to play a crucial role in wound healing by synthesizing and secreting numerous cytokines. Some of these cytokines, such as transforming growth factor-beta and tumor necrosis factor-alpha, promote fibrosis and repair. We have shown that macrophages are recruited to sterile fetal wounds and have the potential to regulate repair by synthesizing transforming growth factor-beta(1), transforming growth factor-beta(2), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha. Transforming growth factor-beta was present in fetal lamb wounds in higher amounts than in adult sheep wounds. Furthermore, the concentrations and ratios of the transforming growth factor-beta isoforms in wounds that healed without scarring were different from those in wounds that scarred; transforming growth factor-beta(2) was highest in fetal wounds that did not scar and lowest in adult wounds. These data suggest that concentrations of transforming growth factor-beta isoforms rather than total transforming growth factor-beta concentration may be important in the regulation of fibrosis in prenatal and postnatal wound healing.

View details for PubMedID 17134379