Mechanistic Model of Wound Contraction

geometry. !& 1993 Academic Press, lnc. ing and inflammation, then a rational basis for the design and application ofpharmacologic modulators of cell behavior to augment or mitigate wound contraction (as appropriate for the nature of the wound being managed) would be available. The model proposed here is a first attempt in that direction. A preponderance of evidence implicates fibroblastic cells as the primary force driving wound contraction [3J. However, the signals which determine the spatial and temporal distribution of fibroblastic cells in and around a wound, as well the factors which govern the magnitude of force transmitted by the cells to local extracellular matrix (ECM) fibers, are poorly understood. These .