Q. When repairing a wound, how do capillaries know where other capillaries are to reform vascular integrity?

Doctor Answer is medically reviewed by SecondMedic medical review team.

Answered by Secondmedic Expert

Capillaries are the smallest of the body's blood vessels. They form a network in the body that transports oxygen and nutrients to cells, and also removes waste products from them. In order for wound healing to occur, capillaries need to know how to reform vascular integrity so that essential nutrients can travel throughout the body efficiently.

The process of forming new capillaries during wound repair begins when migrating endothelial cells sense growth factors in the surrounding area released by damaged tissue and immune cells. The endothelial cells then migrate toward areas with these growth factors and release various types of molecules as they move along. These molecules attract platelets which contain substances like chemokines that have been found to aid in blood clotting formation at wounds, leading to vessel closure at sites of injury while releasing endothelial progenitor cell’s adhesive elements into the ECM (Extracellular Matrix). Endothelial Progenitors adhere via homophilic adhesion or selective binding between complement proteins on adjacent surfaces allowing for their recruitment into already existing or newly formed capillary networks (angiogenesis).

Once these progenitors reach a point where there is sufficient contact between two adjacent endothelia, signal molecules like VEGF-A are released which stimulates vessel extension as well as prevents cell apoptosis due do lack of oxygen supply from hypoxia. This allows for new vessels brought about by angiogenesis combined with mitotic division within existing vessels further encouraging microvascular development during healing process thus restoring normal circulation thereby rearranging impairments caused by trauma/injury . As more together differentiated capillary buds form, lumen size increases providing larger space for red blood flow and other macromolecules involved in tissue remodeling participating towards improved strength and renewal inside macroecology until eventually greater structural integrities are obtained allowing processes such as oxygen exchange through holemosystolic mechanisms depending on arterial inflow/outflow locations enabling rapid inflows back into main streams along with higher shear stress near exit points conforming natural transverse fluxes aiding even faster wound closures!