Figure 3

H & E section one week post treatment. A) demonstrates an example of a wound one week after CAC + collagen application. Wound thickness was calculated by measuring six arbitrary wound thickness lengths taken from the cartilage to the wound surface and the average thickness obtained. Percentage epithelialization is also measured (A,B,C) Scale bar = 1 millimeter. B) demonstrates one half of the wound at increased magnification to further define the tissue architecture. The wound edge is defined by a change in thickness of the epithelium, lack of normal skin appendages and disorganized collagenous tissue. The collagen scaffold and new granulation tissue formation is highlighted. This is the area where neoangiogenesis and neovascularization occurs and where further stereological analysis was undertaken. C) is an example of an untreated wound. There is decreased wound healing as evident by a wound with little epidermal tissue formation. There is less granulation tissue, angiogenesis and collagen observed in the control wound. This is likely due to the nature of the wound creation which is a full thickness wound created with a 6 mm diameter punch biopsy. The wound heals from the edges and this is the reason for the morphology seen in untreated wounds.