The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of various polysaccharides and their breakdown products on the proliferation and migration of cells involved in wound healing, both in vitro and in vivo, with the ultimate aim of developing a commercially viable collagen dressing containing an active polysaccharide fragment which would stimulate the wound healing response to such a degree that good quality and significantly faster healing would take place. Hyaluronic acid (HA), chondroitin sulphate (CS), heparin, Oxidised Regenerated Cellulose (ORC) and pectin were tested in this study. Some HA fragments and CS fragments significantly stimulated (p