Collagen Gel Contraction by Cultured Fibroblasts Derived from Normal Skin, Oral Mucosa, and Hypertrophic Scar / 대한피부과학회지

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The degree of scar formation varies according to the sites. Oral mucosa heals faster with lesser scar formation than skin and it is very rare for oral mucosa to develop hypertrophic scars. Collagen gel seeded with fibroblasts is considered as a valuable model for studying wound healing in vitro. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to find out whether there are any differences in contractiliy of collagen gel by fibroblasts derived from different sites. METHODS: Fibroblasts were cultured from normal skin, oral mucosa, and hypertrophic scar. They were seeded into collagen gel with or without serum, and the degree of contraction of the collagen gel was measured for 5 days. RESULTS: Hypertrophic scar fibroblasts in collagen gel possessed the greatest contraction potency followed by normal skin fibroblasts and oral mucosal fibroblasts. Serum significantly increased the contractility of each of the fibroblasts. The differences of contractility of collagen gel between oral mucosal fibroblasts and others became more obvious in the presence of serum, however, those between normal skin fibroblasts and hypertrophic scar fibroblasts became less obvious. CONCLUSION: The degree of contraction of collagen gel by fibroblasts correlated with the degree of scar formation. Addition of serum modified the degree of contractile potency which may reflect the differences in the fibroblasts with phenotypic alteration and the subtype of fibroblasts.