Histological and immunohistochemical studies of excisional wounds in the rat with special reference to the involvement of the hair follicles in the wound healing process

The study investigated the role of hair follicles in wound healing using a PVG rat model, focusing on differences between anagen and telogen skin. It was found that anagen skin had significantly smaller wound diameters than telogen skin at 7 and 8 days post-wounding. The epithelial basement membrane began regenerating centrally and peripherally in the wound epithelium. The dermal sheath of hair follicles merged with the wound fibroblast network, and alpha smooth muscle actin staining indicated dermal sheath cell migration into the wound. These findings suggested potential improvements in living skin equivalents and supported the use of the scalp as a donor site for split thickness skin grafts.