Fibroblasts, cells in our connective tissues, migrate and proliferate towards the end of the inflammatory stage when the proliferation stage begins. An important component of the migration of fibroblasts includes the response of eicosanoids. Eicosanoids are inflammatory lipids, fat-like substances found in the blood and cells in our bodies, produced by arachidonic acid that play a role in the initiation of the inflammatory process. Arachidonic acid is an unsaturated fatty acid, which is a molecule that makes up fats in human or animal bodies and contains one or more double bonds. This acid can be converted into eicosanoids, which is why it was investigated in this article as a possible effector in the initiation of the proliferation stage.
Wijesinghe et. al. 2014 investigated the role of the enzyme ceramide kinase in the response of eicosanoids and the migration of fibroblasts during the wound-healing process. Although this enzyme is active at a lower level without the presence of a wound, the enzyme's function is increased when inflammation occurs following a wound. Ceramide kinase catalyzes a reaction that creates a sphingolipid called ceramide-1-phosphate, which is also involved in the healing process. Sphingolipids are lipids that specifically consist of long chains that may link to fatty acids. Without complex processes like migration or inflammation, for example, wound healing would not be completed in an orderly manner and the movement of the molecules mentioned ensures that all components of the injury, such as the tissues or the bleeding, are taken care of. This investigation was done by imposing mechanically induced trauma on fibroblasts of mice that possessed the gene for ceramide kinase and fibroblasts that underwent the genetic loss of ceramide kinase as a comparison.
