Licorice (Glycyrrhiza) species have been widely used as a traditional medicine and a natural sweetener in foods. The 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid (18β-GA) is a bioactive compound in licorice that exhibits potential anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, and anti-microbial activities. Many synthesized derivatives of 18β-GA have been reported to be cytotoxic and suggested for the treatment of malignant disea...

Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) is activated in many cell types in response to growth factors during the G0-G1 transition in the cell cycle. We investigated the effects of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) AA and PDGF BB on activation of MAPK in human dermal fibroblasts, and asked whether its activation correlates with proliferative responses of human fibroblasts to PDGF AA and PDGF...

Background and aims: Highly active oxygen causes DNA or protein damage. This study aimed to determine the effect of extract three medicinal plants, royal jelly, metformin on survival human dermal fibroblast (HDF) cells under oxidative stress induced by H2 O2 . Methods: Hydroalcoholic extracts were prepared from Nigella sativa, Carum carvi seeds, Taraxacum officinale flower. The growth curve HDF...

To determine the effect of oxidative stress on expression of extracellular superoxide dismutase (EC-SOD), CuZn-SOD and Mn-SOD, two fibroblast lines were exposed for periods of up to 4 days to a wide concentration range of oxidizing agents: xanthine oxidase plus hypoxanthine, paraquat, pyrogallol, anaphthoflavone, hydroquinone, catechol, Fe2l ions, Cu2+ ions, buthionine sulphoximine, diethylmale...

The objective of this study was to determine whether transformed cells have greater DNA synthesis-inducing ability (DSIA) than normal cells when fused with G1 phase cells. HeLa cells synchronized in G1 phase, prelabeled with large latex beads, were fused separately with (a) quiescent human diploid fibroblasts (HDF), (b) HDF partially synchronized in late G1, and random populations of (c) HeLa, ...

TO THE EDITOR Known steroidogenic functions of the skin that are represented by the synthesis and metabolism of androgens and estrogens (Chen et al., 2002; Zouboulis and Degitz, 2004) probably include corticosteroids (Slominski et al., 2000; Slominski, 2005). Thus, the skin expresses both the genes and proteins involved in the synthesis of adrenal corticosteroids (Slominski et al., 1996, 1999, ...

Cultured human dermal fibroblasts treated with immune interferon express HLA-DR antigens. We report here that DRpositive fibroblasts present tetanus toxoid (TT) to autologous TT-specific monoclonal helper T cells vigorously depleted of monocytes by passage over Sephadex G10 columns followed by treatment with the monoclonal antibodies (mAb) OKMl and Leu Ml plus complement. The extent of T cell p...

Mast cells play a potentially important role in fibroproliferative diseases, releasing mediators including tryptase that are capable of stimulating fibroblast proliferation and procollagen synthesis. The mechanism by which tryptase stimulates fibroblast proliferation is unclear, although recent studies suggest it can activate protease-activated receptor (PAR)-2. We therefore investigated the ro...

Decreased or impaired proliferation capability of dermal fibroblasts interferes with successful wound healing. Several growth factors tested failed to fully restore the growth of fibroblasts, possibly due to their rapid degradation by proteases. It is therefore critical to find new agents which have stimulatory effects on fibroblasts while being highly resistant to degradation. In such a scenar...

Carbon-encapsulated iron nanoparticles (CEINs) are emerging as promising biomedical tools due to their unique physicochemical properties. In this study, the cytotoxic effect of CEINs (the mean diameter distribution ranges 46-56 nm) has been explored by MTT, LDH leakage, Calcein-AM/propidium iodide (PI) and Annexin V-FITC/PI assays in human melanoma (HTB-140), mouse melanoma (B16-F10) cells, and...