The cell kinetics of teleost fish epidermis: Epidermal mitotic activity in relation to wound healing at varying temperatures in plaice (Pleuronectes platessa)

An autoradiographic study of experimental wounding of the skin of juvenile plaice was performed using tritiated thymidine (20 μCi per gram body weight) injected intraperitoneally, at water temperatures of 5, 10 and 15°C.
Samples of lesion were taken at regular intervals up to 108 hours and autoradiographic preparations made. In addition wounds of less than 12 hours duration, unsuitable for autoradiography were examined and in vitro explant autoradiography studies on similar material used to support the findings for these short term lesions. Results showed that there was a very rapid migration of Malpighian cells into the defect which was not accompanied by any evidence, over the time-scale of the study, of a mitotic burst. Adjacent normal skin was markedly reduced in thickness. Closure of these relatively small wounds was achieved within nine hours at 10°C and by 12 hours at 5°C. The thickness of the migrated epidermal cover was much thicker at 15°C than 5°C.
Numbers of labelled cells were similar in migrating and peripheral epidermis and mucous cells appeared to be randomly distributed except in the periphery of advancing migrating cells, where thev were absent.