Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a syndrome characterized by the rapid influx of protein-rich edema fluid into the air spaces. The magnitude of alveolar epithelial cell injury is a key determinant of disease severity and an important predictor of patient outcome. The alveolar epithelium is positioned at the interface of the host response in the initiation, progression, and recovery...

Keratinocyte growth factor (KGF) stimulates fatty acid and phospholipid synthesis in alveolar type II cells in vitro. KGF stimulates lipogenic enzymes, including fatty acid synthase and stearyl-CoA desaturase-1, and transcription factors involved in lipogenesis, such as sterol regulatory element binding protein (SREBP)-1c and CCAAT/enhancer binding protein (C/EBP)alpha and C/EBPdelta. To define...

PURPOSE To characterize the signaling pathways used by hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and keratinocyte growth factor (KGF) in human corneal epithelial cells. METHODS Cultures of SV40 large T antigen-transfected human corneal epithelial cells were treated with recombinant human HGF or KGF at 50 ng/ml to 100 ng/ml for 5 to 30 minutes and harvested for protein isolation. Immunoprecipitation was ...

PURPOSE To evaluate the effect of corneal epithelial wounding on lacrimal gland expression of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), keratinocyte growth factor (KGF), and epidermal growth factor (EGF) in the rabbit model. METHODS Rabbits had corneal epithelial scrape injuries, and the lacrimal gland was removed at different times after wounding. HGF, KGF, and EGF mRNA expression was examined by quan...

The keratinocyte growth factor receptor (KGFR) is a member of the fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) superfamily. The proximal signaling molecules of FGFRs are much less characterized compared with other growth factor receptors. Using the yeast two-hybrid assay, we have identified ribosomal S6 kinase (RSK) to be a protein that associates with the cytoplasmic domain of the KGFR. The RSK fa...

Chronic allergic asthma is associated with marked inflammatory reaction, microvascular leakage and epithelium injury. As previously shown in a rat model of chronic asthma, these alterations increase lung permeability and distal airway fluid clearance. Keratinocyte growth factor (KGF) has been shown to induce epithelial cell proliferation and to protect from acute lung injuries. Therefore, the c...

PURPOSE Oxidative stress has been implicated in a variety of diseases of the eye. In several other tissues, keratinocyte growth factor (KGF) has been shown to prevent negative cellular changes associated with oxidative insult, such as permeability increases and nuclear DNA damage. In this study, we looked at whether KGF provided these same protective effects to cultured human retinal pigmented ...

BACKGROUND Delayed or nonreepithelialization of the large conducting airway (ie, trachea and bronchus) is a clinically recognized but poorly understood result of airway trauma. This delay results in granulation tissue formation and scarring, which impairs mucocilliary transport and can critically compromise gas exchange. Keratinocyte growth factor (KGF) is a known epithelial cell mitogen that i...

The genus Folsomides Stach, 1922 is represented by four species in the Iranian fauna, two of which are new to the science. Folsomides halshinicus sp. nov. and Folsomides subvinosus sp. nov. are found in Kermanshah Province (Western Iran). The new species belong to the Folsomides angularis (Axelson, 1905) group and they are distinguishable from other congeneric species by the macrochaetotaxy (11...

The state of pregnancy is known to alter hepatic drug metabolism. Hormones that rise during pregnancy are potentially responsible for the changes. Here we report the effects of prolactin (PRL), placental lactogen (PL), and growth hormone variant (GH-v) on expression of major hepatic cytochromes P450 expression and a potential molecular mechanism underlying CYP2E1 induction by PL. In female huma...