Abstract
The morphological process of wound healing following abrading of rat laryngeal mucosa with a homemade knife was observed both light and electron microscopically, and the following results were obtained.
1) Repair of the mucosal epithelial defect was initiated from migration of residual basal cells in the surrounding tissue onto the denuded epithelial surface, proceeded with their proliferation and differentiation, and was completed 21 days after sustaining the injury.
2) The regenerated epithelium tended to be excessively hyperplastic and showed an increased number of cells having the capacity of proliferation up until 10 days after abrasion.
3) Tonofilaments in their well differentiated form were seen in those cells of the regenerated epithelium which retained mitotic activity with a derangement of cell differentiation as seen in cancer cells being noted transiently.
4) In the regenerated epithelium there was noted hyperplasia of hemidesmosome and anchoring fibril of a transient duration which made the epithelium look like epidermis morphologically. This phenomenon was considered as “transitory epidermal metaplasia”.
