Mast cells and wound healing of the skin in the rat

Summary In healing skin wounds of rat skin an initial disappearance of mast cells occurs. This is followed by a reappearance and degranulation of mast cells at the wound margins between the third and seventh post operative day. By fourteen days the mast cell distribution around the scar tissue resembles that of normal skin, and a few mast cells are present in the fibrous tissue.The presence of mast cells exhibiting a pale metachromasia and fewer granules is noted. These cells lay under the stratum germinativum of the epidermis in normal skin, and similar cells are present below areas of epithelial regeneration in the healing wounds.It is suggested that the mast cell is playing an essential part in wound healing, and that the subepithelial forms may be involved in providing a stimulus for cell division.Supported by American Cancer Society Grant No IN-60.