ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>This paper is to investigate the effects of steroid or IFN alpha-2b on apoptosis and cell pathway of fibroblasts from keloids, hypertrophic scars and normal skins and different responses of different fibroblasts.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>6 samples from keloid, hypertrophic scar and normal skin were collected respectively and fibroblasts from different sources were cultured in vitro. After different fibroblasts were treated with dexamethasone (0.1 mg/ml) or IFN alpha-2b (1000 U/ml), Bax and Bcl-2 protein expressions were detected in situ by immunohistochemical staining; DNA ladders of different fibroblasts were observed by gel electrophoresis; and relative activated (phospho-) ERK1/2 and JNK pathways were detected by method of FACE ELISA.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Dexamethasone could induce apoptosis of fibroblasts from keloids, hypertrophic scars and normal skins through activating (phospho-) ERK1/2 and JNK pathways; IFN alpha-2b could not induce apoptosis of fibroblasts from different sources. IFN alpha-2b could inhibit (phospho-) ERK1/2 pathway and could not affect (phospho-) JNK pathways of fibroblasts from keloid and hypertrophic scar. IFN alpha-2b could affect neither (phospho-) ERK1/2 pathway nor (phospho-) JNK pathways of fibroblasts from normal skin.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The responses of different fibroblasts to steroid or IFN alpha-2b were different.</p>
Subject(s)
Adult , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Apoptosis , Cells, Cultured , Cicatrix, Hypertrophic , Metabolism , Pathology , Fibroblasts , Metabolism , Pathology , Hormones , Pharmacology , Interferon-alpha , Pharmacology , Keloid , Metabolism , Pathology , Recombinant Proteins , Signal TransductionABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To examine the expression of nestin and neurogenin 3 (Ngn3), the markers of pancreatic stem cells, in the human fetal pancreas.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The human fetal pancreas tissue of 12 and 14 weeks were examined for the expression of nestin and Ngn3 using the techniques of immunofluorescence dye and RT-PCR.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Both nestin and Ngn3 expressed widely in 12 and 14 weeks before in human fetal pancreatic tissue. In these positive cells there was no co-expressing insulin or glucagon. There were nestin and Ngn3 co-expressing cells in ducts but not in the islets. The results of RT-PCR also indicated the expression of nestin and Ngn3.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>There was no expression of the markers of mature endocrine cells in the nestin and Ngn3 positive cells, and they were the marks of no-differentiation cells in the human fetal pancreatic tissue.</p>