COLLAGEN-VII EXPRESSION IN HUMAN CHRONIC WOUNDS AND SCARS

Collagen VII is the major structural component of the anchoring fibril s that stabilize the cutaneous basement membrane on the dermis. Disrup tion and, more usually, destruction of the basement membrane are chara cteristic of wounds that art slow, or fail, to heal, such as chronic l ower-limb or pressure ulcers. In this study, the expression of collage n VII was analysed in 28 human chronic cutaneous wounds or scars using a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) technique. Collagen VII expression was detected in 26 of these 28 cutaneous woun ds, but not in two wounds, neither of which showed any clinical eviden ce of healing. (C) 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.