in human skin wounds

Summary. A total of 74 human skin wounds were inves-tigated and collagen types I and VI were localized in the wound area by immunohistochemistry. Collagen type I appeared in the form of ramifying string-like structures after approximately 5-6 days, but positive reactions in the form of a spot-like staining around isolated fibro-blasts also occurred in a skin wound aged 4 days. Colla-gen VI was detectable after a post-infliction i terval of at least 3 days showing a strongly positive reacting network associated with fibroblasts in the wound area. Both col-lagens appeared almost constantly after a wound age of 6-7 days and could also be found in wounds aged a few months. Therefore, although a positive reaction for col-lagen type I in the form of string-like and ramifying struc-tures around wound fibroblasts indicates a wound age o