Figure 3.

Wound splinting promotes early expression of α-SMA in granulation tissue. Sections of 3-day-old (A, E), 6-day-old (B, F), 9-day-old (C, G), and 12-day-old (D, H) granulation tissue were double-stained for α-SMA (red) and desmin (green). Protein expression in tissue from unsplinted wounds (A–D) is compared to that in splinted wound tissue (E–H). α-SMA is constitutively expressed by smooth muscle cells, co-localizing with desmin in vessels (A, arrowheads). Fibroblastic cells in unsplinted wound tissue express α-SMA at 9 days after wounding (C) and exhibit decreased expression levels after 12 days (D). Mechanical tension results in expression of α-SMA already at 6 days (E) that gradually increases up to 12 days (H). Scale bar, 50 μm.