ABSTRACT
Normal wound repair is a coordinated and predictable series of cellular and biochemical events, generally characterized by the following phases: hemostasis, inflammation, granulation, and remodeling. It requires complex and dynamic processes that restore cellular structures and tissue layers by an intricate interplay among a variety of cell types, endogenous chemoattractants and growth factors, fibrous proteins, proteinases, and angiogenic factors. This multifaceted and coordinated series of events includes chemotaxis, phagocytosis, neocollagenesis, collagen degradation, and collagen remodeling. In addition, angiogenesis, epithelialization, and the production of new glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) and proteoglycans are vital to the wound healing milieu. The culmination of these biological processes results in the replacement of normal skin structures with fibroblastic mediated scar tissue. However, certain pathophysiologic conditions and metabolic factors can alter this course of events, resulting in chronic, nonhealing wounds [1-3].
