Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), which is secreted from folliculostellate cells in the anterior pituitary, is known to be involved in the communication between folliculostellate cells and lactotropes during estradiol-induced lactotropic cell proliferation. We studied the role of MAPK p44/42 in bFGF-regulated cell proliferation using enriched lactotropes and the lactotrope-derived PR1 cell...

BACKGROUND To repair fractures with large bone defects or gaps, demineralized allogenic bone matrix (DBM) is often applied to the fracture site. However, studies have shown that the use of DBM alone has limited efficacy for repairing fractures. In the present study, we developed an allogenic demineralized bone powder (DBP) with basic fibroblast-derived growth factor containing a polycystic kidn...

PURPOSE In an unpublished study, the authors found that immunoreactivity for basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) is increased in rod photoreceptors adjacent to long-standing laser burns in human diabetic retinas. The goal of this study was to determine whether laser photocoagulation produces a similar increase in photoreceptor bFGF and promotes survival of these cells in dystrophic rodent ret...

Oncostatin M (OSM), a pleiotropic cytokine originally isolated from supernatants of the U937 histiocytic lymphoma cell line, has been shown to have regulatory effects on a wide variety of cultured and tumor cells. We investigated the effects of OSM on basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) gene expression in bovine arterial endothelial (BAE) cells. Levels of bFGF mRNA transcripts were low in uni...

PURPOSE Chemotherapy resistance is a problem in the treatment of advanced retinoblastoma (RB). Since basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) is a survival factor for neural precursor cells, bFGF was evaluated as a growth and chemoresistance factor in RB. METHODS bFGF expression was analyzed in the LH-betaTag transgenic mouse model of RB and human RB cell lines by immunofluorescence, RT-PCR, and...

OBJECTIVE The effects on neural proliferation and differentiation of neural stem cells (NSC) of basic fibroblast growth factor-2 (bFGF), insulin growth factor-I (IGF-I), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and nerve growth factor (NGF) were assessed. Also, following combinations of various factors were investigated : bFGF+IGF-I, bFGF+BDNF, bFGF+NGF, IGF-I+BDNF, IGF-I+NGF, and BDNF+NGF. ...

OBJECTIVE Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) is an important regulator of tissue growth. Previous studies have shown that low intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) stimulates bone growth. The objective of this study was to evaluate the possible synergetic effect of LIPUS and local injection of nonviral bFGF plasmid DNA (pDNA) on mandibular growth in rats. DESIGN Groups were control, blank pD...

Because of the short half-life, either systemic or local administration of bFGF shows significant drawbacks to spinal injury. In this study, an acellular spinal cord scaffold (ASC) was encapsulated in a thermo-sensitive hydrogel to overcome these limitations. The ASC was firstly prepared from the spinal cord of healthy rats and characterized by scanning electronic microscopy and immunohistochem...

Proliferation of coronary smooth muscle cells (cSMCs) contributes to the pathogenesis of arteriosclerosis and restenosis after angioplasty, and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) is a powerful mitogen for cSMCs. In this study, we investigated the involvement of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), protein kinase C (PKC), and the transcription factor c-myc in bFGF-stimulated mitogenesis, ...

Long-term survival of intestinal transplants is hampered by chronic rejection (CR). Since transplants with CR demonstrate fibrotic changes, the cytokine basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) may be involved in the tissue remodelling of chronic intestinal rejection. The aim of this study was to investigate the bFGF gene and protein expression and distribution in chronically rejecting intestinal ...