Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurses Society (WOCN) Practice Exam

In wound healing, type 3 collagen transforms into what type for increased tensile strength over time?

1. Type 2 collagen

2. Type 4 collagen

3. Type 1 collagen

4. Type 5 collagen

The correct answer is: Type 1 collagen

In wound healing, type 3 collagen is initially formed during the inflammatory phase and early stages of wound healing. Over time, this type 3 collagen undergoes a transformation into type 1 collagen, which is crucial for providing increased tensile strength to the healed tissue. Type 1 collagen is the most abundant collagen type in the body and is essential for the structural integrity of skin, tendons, ligaments, and other connective tissues. It has much greater tensile strength than type 3 collagen, which is more prevalent in the initial phase of tissue repair. This transformation is vital for the maturation phase of wound healing, allowing the repaired tissue to withstand mechanical stress more effectively. The other options do not participate in this specific transformation. Type 2 collagen is predominantly found in cartilaginous structures, type 4 collagen is a major component of the basement membrane, and type 5 collagen plays a role in the regulation of the assembly of collagen fibrils but is not directly involved in replacing type 3 collagen in wound healing. Thus, the correct answer is type 1 collagen, which is essential for achieving the necessary strength and durability in healed tissues.