Physiology, Epithelialization

Excerpt

Epithelial tissue comprises sheets of cells bound tightly together found in the skin, GI, urinary, reproductive, and respiratory tracts. The epithelium serves as a barrier to protect the body from pathogens and functions to maintain homeostasis. When epithelial tissue is damaged, the body responds via four phases of wound healing: hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation, and remodeling (maturation). Epithelialization is the process of repairing epithelial surface defects via keratinocytes during the proliferative phase of wound healing.