Collagen resorption by fibroblasts in human gingiva.

In the course of the extensive tissue remodeling occurring after flap surgery and during the subsequent gingival reattachment in man, numerous intracellular vacuoles were observed in fibroblasts of the lamina propria. These vacuoles contained one or several typical collagen fibrils and had either an electron-lucent matrix or contained an electron-dense material obscuring the fibrillar outlines and cross-striations.