MIGRATION AND PROLIFERATION OF DIPLOID HUMAN FIBROBLASTS FOLLOWING WOUNDING OF CONFLUENT MONOLAYERS

Six diploid human fibroblast strains were grown in confluent monolayers. Holes were scraped in these monolayers and the number of cells proliferating into these “wounds” with time were determined. The migration and mitotic aspects of the proliferation of fibroblasts into these wounds were analyzed separately. Small amounts of undialysed or dialysed serum were essential for cell division but not migration. Saline extracts of skin could not substitute for serum in the medium. Neither zinc nor cupric ion at tolerable concentrations (10−5M) increased the rate of cell proliferation. Normal human fibroblasts did not immediately start to divide from confluency into the “wound” space. Their generation time was about 32–39 hours. Fibroblasts from patients with cystic fibrosis began to divide almost immediately into the “wounded” area. Their generation time was about 48 to 56 hours. Copyright © 1969 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.