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Collagen reorganization in leech wound healing
Author(s) -
Tettamanti Gianluca,
Grimaldi Annalisa,
Congiu Terenzio,
Perletti Gianpaolo,
Raspanti Mario,
Valvassori Roberto,
Eguileor Magda
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
biology of the cell
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.543
H-Index - 85
eISSN - 1768-322X
pISSN - 0248-4900
DOI - 10.1042/bc20040085
Subject(s) - extracellular matrix , wound healing , regeneration (biology) , biology , vertebrate , scaffold , microbiology and biotechnology , leech , anatomy , extracellular , fibril , collagen fibril , amphibian , ultrastructure , biophysics , immunology , biochemistry , biomedical engineering , gene , ecology , medicine , world wide web , computer science
Background Information . Leeches respond to surgical lesions with the same sequence of events as that described for wound healing in vertebrates, where collagen is important for the development of tensions in healing wounds, functioning as an extracellular scaffold for accurate regeneration of the structures disrupted by surgical or traumatic actions. Results . In surgically lesioned leeches, newly synthesized collagen is arranged in hierarchical structures. Fibrils can be packed and shaped to form cords or tubular structures, thus acting as an extracellular scaffold that directs and organizes the outgrowth of new vessels and the migration of immune cells towards lesioned tissues. In these animals, the general architecture of collagen fibrils, generated during tissue regeneration, shows similarities to both the structural pattern of collagen bundles and assembly processes observed in several vertebrate systems (fish scales, amphibian skin and human cornea). Conclusions . The production of extracellular matrix during wound healing in leeches is a surprising example of conservation of an extremely close relationship between the structure and function of molecular structures. It could be hypothesized that collagen structures, characterized not only by a striking structural complexity, but also by multifunctional purposes, are anatomical systems highly conserved throughout evolution.