Figure 5
Changes in collagen immunoreactivity during wound healing. Longitudinal bodywall sections of (A) non-injured animals and animals at (B) 6, (C) 12, and (D) 20 days post-injury (dpi) labeled with an antibody against holothurian collagen. The normal distribution of collagen found in non-injured animals (A) is disrupted during wound healing. (B) Initially (6 dpi), collagen is lost close to the wound site; dotted line delimits the area depleted of collagen labeling. (C) However, in subsequent stages (12 dpi) the area where collagen disappears extends over a much wider area. (D) Latter stages (20 dpi) show collagen reappearing as the wound heals. All sections were photographed using the same exposure time (30 sec) to depict the actual differences in labeling intensity. CB-collagen band, CM-circular muscle, lCT-loose connective tissue, dCT-dense connective tissue. Arrowheads signal the ampulla within the bodywall; asterisks mark areas where the tattoo ink denotes the injury site. Bar = 200 μm.