Its major feature is elastic recoil, therefore, it is found in pliable structures like artery walls and the uterus. Defects in elastic fibers result in the genetic disease, Marfan syndrome . This action induces proliferation of epithelial cells and promotes wound healing. A stable complex of macromolecules that surrounds cells. It can be thought of as a framework for cell migration during the embryologic development of the organism.
Fibroblasts actively secrete components of the matrix.
Fibronectin and hyaluronic acid are some of the first glycoproteins deposited in a wound. It accelerates wound healing, and may be responsible for much of the process of angiogenesis . These diverse binding sites allow fibronectin to act as an integrating protein in the extracellular matrix . This cross-linking function is of great importance in the early stages of wound healing, before fibroblasts have laid down any collagen. Do not confuse with the term granuloma .