The influence of some experimental variables on the epithelial movements in the healing of corneal wounds

✍ Scribed by Friedenwald, Jonas S. ;Buschke, Wilhelm

• Publisher: Wiley (John Wiley & Sons)
• Year: 1944
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 650 KB
• Volume: 23
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0095-9898
• DOI: 10.1002/jcp.1030230209

✦ Synopsis

Though it has been claimed that mitotic activity is stimulated after injury (Jus6lius, '10; Arey, '36; Arey and Covode, '43) it is now generally assumed that the covering of small epithelial defects takes place by "migration" of the neighbouring cells into the defect, and not by mitosis. Much of the evidence to support this view has been derived from studies on the corneal epithelium of both warmblooded and coldblooded animals (JusBliqs, '10; Arey and Covode, '43; Peters, 1885; Oppel, '12 ; Matsirnoto, '23). However, conclusive proof that mitotic cell proliferation is not responsible for the covering of those epithelial defects, depends not only on mitosis counts in a certain area of tissue, but on a determination of the mitotic rate simultaneous with qualitative and quantitative observations on the progress of healing.

While the effect of experimental influences on the overall rate of healing of epithelial corneal wounds has been extensively studied in viva and in vitro (JusBlius, '10 ; 'Loewenstein, '13 ; deRoetth, '40 ; Puckowskaja, '40)' the effects of experimental influences on the basic phenomenon of cell movements in wound healing has been largely neglected. Apart from their relation to wound healing, experimental studies on epithelial movements in the cornea appear to be of interest in connection with the problem of mitosis itself, since some association between these tm70 phenomena is suggested by reports in the literature (Lewis, '39; Marsland, '39 ; Jacoby, '37).

Previously reported studies (Buschke, '43) have shown that the corneal epithelium of the rat is a very suitable test object for mitotic activity. The observations to be described below deal with post-traumatic epithelial movements in the same test object under some experimental conditions.