Lack of Lipid Involvement in Nonosseous Tissue Repair

Calcium-acidic phospholipid-phosphate complexes (Ca-PL-PO₄) have been implicated in the onset of tissue mineralization in healing fracture callus as well as in normal osteogenesis. Although these complexes are not found in nonmineralizing normal tissues, the possibility that they are more involved in healing phenomena than in actual mineralization cannot be excluded. The present study confirms that Ca-PL-PO₄ complexes are only involved with osseous repair. In healing skin at 5, 8, and 11 days after wounding, Ca-PL-PO₄ concentration was not significantly elevated (percentage complexed lipid P/total lipid P: 3.7, 2.4, and 3.8, respectively) relative to the value found for normal skin (2 ± 2%), although the total lipid phosphorus content at 8 and 11 days was increased.