Maggots and wound healing: an investigation of the effects of secretions from Lucilia sericata larvae upon interactions between human dermal fibroblasts and extracellular matrix components

Summary Background Through clinical observation, Lucilia sericata (greenbottle fly) larvae are credited with exerting the following beneficial effects upon a chronic nonhealing wound: removal of necrotic tissue (‘debridement’), disinfection of the wound and active promotion of granulation tissue formation. As a major cellular component of granulation tissue, fibroblasts play an extensive role in healing. The composition of extracellular matrix (ECM) located in the wound is another important factor, partaking in a dynamic feedback loop with the fibroblasts that produce it. Fibroblast–ECM interactions therefore exert considerable influence upon new tissue formation.

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