RESUMO
Prostaglandin E_1 (PGE_1) has been proven to be effective in the treatment of chronic skin ulcers and wounds.To elucidate the possible mechanism involved,normal human keratinocytes and der- mal fibroblasts were cultured with PGE_1.Cell proliferation was measured by MTT assay and cytokine production by enzyme-linked immunosobent assay (ELISA).The results revealed that keratinocytes produced IL-1?,IL-8,TGF? and PDGF,while dermal fihroblasts produced IL-6 and IL-8,suggesting dif- ferent kinds of cytokine production between keratinocytes and dermal fibroblasts.PGE_1 promoted IL-6 and IL-8 production in dermal fibroblasts but not in keratinocytes.Moreover,PGE_1 promoted cell prolif- eration in dermal fibroblasts but not in keratinocytes,suggesting that dermal fibroblasts are more sensi- tive than keratinocytes to PGE_1 and that the therapeutic effects of topical PGE_1 on skin ulcer or wound may mainly be mediated by its effects on dermal fibroblasts.