The growth of endothelium and pseudoendothelium on the healing surface of rabbit ear chambers

Abstract

Sheets of cells that appear on the surface of healing tissue in the rabbit ear chamber have been identified as vascular endothelium. Islands of endothelium grow as a layer one cell thick, eventually joining and covering the tissue of the chamber completely. When the surface of the tissue is treated so as to outline the cells with silver, areas not yet covered by endothelium show a pattern reminiscent of that of vascular endothelium but less regular. This has been called ‘pseudoendothelium’. This pattern is due to the presence at the surface of cells normal to healing tissue, collections of macrophages interspersed with fibroblasts and other mesenchymal cells.