A 25-year-old woman sustains a deep, open laceration over her right forearm in a motorcycle accident. The wound is cleaned and sutured. Which of the following cell types mediates contraction of the wound to facilitate healing?

The myofibroblast is the cell responsible for wound contraction as well as the deforming pathologic process termed wound contracture. Myofibroblasts exe their contractile effects by forming syncytia,in this they are bound together by tight junctions. -Fibroblasts (choice B) tend to be solitary cells, surrounded by collagen fibers. -Endothelial cells (choice A) respond to growth factors and form capillaries, which are necessary for the delivery of nutrients and inflammatory cells. -Neither macrophages (choice C) mediate wound contraction.