Wound healing in aged animals--effects of locally applied transforming growth factor beta 2 in different model systems.

Local application of a growth factor which could stimulate cell turnover, extracellular matrix synthesis and blood vessel formation in the skin should improve and accelerate wound healing processes which are often impaired in old age. We demonstrate the effects of TGF-beta 2 in promoting wound repair in old animals where normal healing responses are shown to be naturally slower. The potential use of TGF-beta s for the treatment of wound injuries, including chronic non-healing ulcers in the elderly, is discussed.