In vitro study of the adverse effect of nicotine and physical strain on human gingival fibroblasts as a model of the healing of wounds commonly found in the military.

Background: Significant adverse effects on fibroblast growth and metabolism are observed with nicotine. We investigated the synergistic effects of nicotine and cyclical mechanical strain (CMS) on human gingival fibroblasts (HGFs) in a wound-healing model.

Methods: HGFs were isolated and grown in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium.