Evaluation of ATP content in hair bulbs in human scalp.

The content of ATP in scalp hair bulbs in humans was measured in the hair roots from 15 healthy volunteers. Light and electron microscopy confirmed the presence of outer and an inner root sheaths in the root of pulled out anagen hair. Incubation of samples in buffer solution led to extraction of ATP, which was measured by the chemiluminescent method. Mechanic disintegration of hair bulbs and their freezing-defrosting did not increase ATP output. The results of microscopy indicated that ATP extraction procedure was associated with separation of the outer radical sheath from the inner one without impairing the structure of the inner sheath. The mean content of ATP was 12 ± 2 pmol per bulb. The use of pulled out hair bulbs for ATP measurements simplified the procedure as involved no surgical removal of follicles.

Molecular mechanisms underlying wound healing and anti-inflammatory properties of naturally occurring biotechnologically produced phenylpropanoid glycosides.

Two phenylpropanoid glycosides, verbascoside (VB) and teupolioside (TP), produced biotechnologically by Syringa vulgaris and Ajuga reptans plant cell cultures, were studied in vitro and in vivo for their anti-inflammatory and wound healing activities. It was shown that TP- and VB-containing extracts significantly accelerated wound healing and possessed remarkable anti-inflammatory action in the excision wound model. These effects correlated with the inhibition of reactive oxygen species release from the whole blood leukocytes and with the ferrous ion chelating capacity. On the other hand, they don't correlate either with free radical scavenging or with the inhibition of lipid peroxidation in the cell-free systems. Furthermore, both VB- and TP-containing extracts were extremely effective inhibitors of chemokine and growth factor expression by cultured human keratinocytes treated with pro-inflammatory cytokines, TNF-alpha and interferon-gamma.