Skin, healing injury.

Fibroblasts are activated to begin healing after a minor injury.

The location for this micrograph is skin, immediately beneath newly regrown epidermis, where collagen and blood vessels are forming in the damaged dermis.  (Click here or on one of the thumbnails at right to view the context for this image at lower magnification.) 

In fibroblasts that have become active, cytoplasm is more evident and nuclei are more euchromatic than in resting fibroblasts encountered in more typical skin preparations.  The collagen fibers in this region of scar formation are larger than typical for papillary dermis.

Note that the vascular spaces (blood vessels) contain inflammatory cells (neutrophils) which reflect a recent history of inflammation triggered by the injury and possible contamination.

Comments and questions: dgking@siu.edu

SIUC / School of Medicine / Anatomy / David King

https://histology.siu.edu/intro/IN020b.htm
Last updated:  13 June 2022 / dgk