BACKGROUND & AIMS: Low doses of aspirin can injure the gastric mucosa. It is not clear if other drugs, such as the anti-platelet agent, clopidogrel, also cause gastric mucosal injury or exacerbate aspirin-induced injury, or if proton-pump inhibitors prevent damage. METHODS: Twenty Japanese subjects with different CYP2C19 genotypes were randomly ...

Ultraviolet B radiation (UVB) is a potent stimulator of epidermal cytokine production. In addition to cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), UVB generates bioactive lipids including platelet-activating factor (PAF). Our previous in vitro studies in keratinocytes or epithelial cell lines have demonstrated that UVB-mediated production of PAF agonists is ...

Antibiotic and non-antibiotic sulphonamides are often prescribed. Although chemical differences make cross-reactivity rare, reactions may be severe in patients allergic to sulphur. Adverse reactions are common with sulphonamides but low platelets and skin changes are rarely associated with eye-drops for glaucoma. A woman treated with dorzolamide and timolol presented with ...

The oligomeric proanthocyanidins (OPCs) from grape seeds are expected to be novel and potent anti-oxidants that more effectively protect skin cells against oxidative stress. UV-induced oxidative stress is considered to promote melanogenesis and serious skin damage. However, the effect of OPCs on UV-induced melanogenesis is still unknown. To investigate the ...

It has been recognized that the vehicle in which a permeant is applied to the skin has a distinctive effect on the dermal and transdermal delivery of active ingredients. The cutaneous and percutaneous absorptions can be enhanced, e.g. by an increase in thermodynamic activity, supersaturation and penetration modifiers. Furthermore, dermal ...

Antimicrobial peptides such as cathelicidins can modulate inflammation by interfering with TLR function. Small fragment hyaluronan (HA) is released following injury, and is an endogenous ligand for TLR4 as well as CD44. In this study, we examined the interactions of cathelicidin with HA. Cathelicidin inhibited HA induced MIP-2 release from ...

The FDA recently published a proposed amendment of the Final Monograph for OTC Sunscreen Products. Among the proposals, FDA revised solar simulator performance specifications and additional labeling for sunscreen products. The maximum allowable labeled sun protection factor (SPF) was increased to SPF 50 while simultaneously requiring it to be called ...

Blood platelets participate actively in immune-inflammatory processes. Responding to the variety of stimuli such as cell activation leads to the release of several mediators, including RANTES, platelet factor 4, beta-thromboglobulin, thymus and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC/CCL17), serotonin and arachidonic acid metabolites. It also affects the expression of immunomodulatory and adhesive molecules, ...

The sterile insect technique (SIT) is widely used for suppressing or eradicating target pest insect populations. The effectiveness of SIT depends on the ability of released sterile males to mate with and inseminate wild females. Irradiation is the effective manner to sterilize mass-reared insects. The negative impacts of this procedure ...

Exposure of the skin to UV radiation can lead to a local infiltration of neutrophils. Not much is known on whether the infiltration of neutrophils in the irradiated skin is UV source dependent. In this study we compared different UV sources (solar-simulated radiation [SSR], narrowband [NB]-UVB, broadband [BB]-UVB and UVA1) ...

Penetration studies are commonly performed on in vitro models, presumably due to a lack of non-invasive in vivo methods. To date, it is not clear whether in vitro models are suitable to reflect the in vivo conditions for percutaneous penetration. Apart from inter and intraspecies skin differences, the excision of ...

Activation of nociceptors causes them to secrete neuropeptides. The binding of these peptides to receptors on blood vessels causes vasodilation and increased vascular permeability that allows loss of proteins and fluid (plasma extravasation, PE); this contributes to inflammation. This study defines the relationship between electrical activation of nociceptors and PE ...

The signaling of stem cell factor (SCF) and its receptor KIT (membrane-bound KIT; m-KIT) plays an important role in melanocyte development, survival, proliferation, and melanogenesis. It has been demonstrated in other systems that a soluble form of m-KIT released from the cell surface (s-KIT) regulates SCF signaling, although there have ...

OBJECTIVE: We aimed at comparing the effects of two different electrode-to-skin contact preparation techniques on the stimulus artefact induced by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in electroencephalography (EEG) signals. METHODS: Six healthy subjects participated in a combined navigated brain stimulation (NBS) and EEG study. Electrode contacts were first prepared in the ...

Glucomannans belong to yeast and fungal cell wall polysaccharides with known immunostimulatory and radioprotective effects. However, glucomannan protective effects against pathological consequences of skin exposure to short wavelength solar light, ultraviolet (UV) radiation, are unclear. Herein, a highly branched glucomannan (GM) isolated from the cell wall of Candida utilis, a ...

In this work, we found that extracellular release of H(2)O(2) is 1.5- to 6-fold higher in skin human diploid fibroblasts exposed to UVB in conditions inducing premature senescence when compared to control cells without exposure to UVB. The apparent decrease in H(2)O(2) production from 0 to 72 h after the ...

Lipid microparticles (lipospheres) loaded with butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane (BMDBM), a widely used UV-A sunscreen agent, were prepared by melt technique and evaluated for skin permeation both in vivo, by tape stripping method, and in vitro, by a flow-through diffusion chamber. Following in vivo human skin application of an O/W emulsion containing ...

BACKGROUND: Naturally occurring antioxidants were used to regulate the skin damage caused by ultraviolet (UV) radiation because several antioxidants have demonstrated that they can inhibit wrinkle formation through prevention of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and/or increase of collagen synthesis. OBJECTIVE: We examined the effect of oral administration of the antioxidant mixture ...

Organic osmolytes, such as taurine, are involved in cell volume homeostasis and cell protection. Epidermal keratinocytes possess an osmolyte strategy, i.e., they take up taurine upon hyperosmotic stress and express the corresponding transporter TAUT. UVB irradiation also triggers taurine uptake and TAUT expression in this cell type. We therefore asked ...

Interleukin-20 (IL-20) is a new member of the IL-10 cytokine family discovered by a structural algorithm. IL-20 transgenic mice displayed skin abnormalities reminiscent of psoriasis, a finding that has prompted the investigation of this new interleukin in relation to this disease. This article reviews the role of IL-20 and its ...

In recent years there has been an increase in use of botanicals with antioxidant properties as skin photoprotective agents. Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) fruit possesses strong antioxidant and antiinflammatory properties. Recently, we have shown that pomegranate-derived products rich in anthocyanidins and ellagitannins inhibit UVB-mediated activation of nuclear factor kappa B ...

It is already known that the photostability of a sunscreen is important for its performance on human skin. On the other hand, there are many formulations besides sunscreens containing combinations of UV-filters and daily use active substances with other claims like hydration and anti-aging effects. Vitamins A, C and E ...

We examined the in vitro permeation of central nervous stimulants - caffeine, theophylline, and theobromine across human skin with the aid of six chemical enhancers. It was found that oleic acid was the most potent enhancer for all three methylxanthines. Further optimization studies with different solvents showed that caffeine transport ...

BACKGROUND: Imatinib mesylate (IM), the first-line treatment of chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML), is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor that targets those proteins involved in BCR-ABL signal transduction in CML, c-kit (KIT) and platelet-derived growth-factor (PDGFR) receptor. The use of IM has been associated with cutaneous reactions. In the last 2 years ...

Type I collagen is the primary component of the skin dermis. Both the quantity and quality of extracellular collagen are primarily related to skin ageing. In this study, we investigated the possibility that Camellia japonica oil (CJ oil) may be introduced as an anit-wrinkle agent. As a first step to ...

Semisynthesis of 13 new thio avarol derivatives (4-16) and in vitro evaluation on the photodamage response induced by UVB irradiation are described. Their ability to inhibit NF-kappaB activation and TNF-alpha generation in HaCaT cells as well as their antioxidant capacity in human neutrophils has also been studied. Among them we ...

BACKGROUND: Flashlamp-pumped pulsed dye lasers (PDLs) have successfully treated keloidal and hypertrophic scars. OBJECTIVE: The objective was to investigate the effect of pulse width of a PDL in treating keloidal and hypertrophic scars. METHODS: On each of 19 patients, keloidal or hypertrophic median sternotomy scars were divided into two segments. ...

(-)-Epicatechin-3-gallate (ECG) is a polyphenolic compound similar to (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) which is abundant in green tea. Numerous workers have proposed that EGCG protects epidermal cells against UVB-induced damage. However, little has been known about whether ECG protects keratinocytes against UVB-induced damage. We decided to investigate the protective effects and underlying ...

BACKGROUND: Recent research suggests that alcohol-based skin antiseptics exhibit their efficacy on the resident skin flora of the forehead in less than 10 minutes. That is why we have looked at the efficacy of two ethanol-based skin antiseptics applied for 10, 2.5 and 2 minutes on skin with a high ...

The kinetics of the release of Doxorubicin from Pluronic P105 micelles during ultrasonication and its subsequent re-encapsulation upon cessation of insonation were investigated. Four mechanisms are proposed to explain the acoustically-triggered Doxorubicin (Dox) release and re-encapsulation from Pluronic P105 micelles. The four mechanisms are: micelle destruction; destruction of cavitating nuclei; ...

TS-022, {4-[(1R, 2S, 3R, 5R)-5-Chloro-2-((S)-3-cyclohexyl-3-hydroxyprop-1-ynyl)-3-hydroxycyclopentyl] butylthio} acetic acid monohydrate, inhibits ADP-induced platelet aggregation, an effect significantly antagonized, as in the case of prostaglandin D(2) by the prostanoid DP(1) receptor antagonist (BW A868C). TS-022 is a prostanoid DP(1) receptor agonist, originally developed as a novel anti-pruritic drug for patients with atopic ...

BACKGROUND: Nonablative lasers are widely used for treatment of wrinkles, atrophic scars and acne. These lasers stimulate dermal remodelling and collagen production, but the early molecular stimulus for this is unknown. The mechanism of nonablative lasers in inflammatory acne is variously suggested to be damage either to sebaceous glands or ...

Microscopic observation of the skin of Plestiodon lizards, which have body stripes and blue tail coloration, identified epidermal melanophores and three types of dermal chromatophores: xanthophores, iridophores, and melanophores. There was a vertical combination of these pigment cells, with xanthophores in the uppermost layer, iridophores in the intermediate layer, and ...

BACKGROUND: Vitamin C, which is a strong anti-oxidant, plays an important role in maintaining physiological states. In dermatology, Vitamin C is used for treatment of various skin problems such as de-pigmentation of hyperpigmented spots. However, Vitamin C has limited stability and permeability, and development of a Vitamin C derivative with ...

The two paracrine melanogenic cytokines, stem cell factor (SCF) and endothelin-1 (ET-1), have been demonstrated to play pivotal roles in skin pigmentation including UVB-induced pigmentation and senile lentigo. However, little is known regarding their interactive effect on skin pigmentation. In order to investigate their roles in vivo, facultative pigmentation of ...

Full expression of reflex cutaneous vasodilation (VD) is dependent on nitric oxide (NO) and is attenuated in older humans. NO may be decreased by an age-related increase in reactive oxygen species or a decrease in L-arginine availability via upregulated arginase. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect ...

Topical application of caffeine sodium benzoate (caffeine-SB) immediately after UVB irradiation of SKH-1 mice enhanced UVB-induced apoptosis by a 2- to 3-fold greater extent than occurred after the topical application of an equimolar amount of caffeine. Although topical application of caffeine-SB or caffeine enhanced UVB-induced apoptosis, both substances were inactive ...

The alterations in structure and function of photosystem II (PS II) during the senescence of primary leaves of wheat seedlings have been compared with the changes induced by ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation in the presence or absence of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR). The results indicated that the senescence-induced loss in pigment ...

Ureases (EC 3.5.1.5) are highly homologous enzymes found in plants, bacteria and fungi. Canatoxin, an isoform Canavalia ensiformis urease, has several biological properties unrelated to its ureolytic activity, like platelet-aggregating and pro-inflammatory effects. Here, we describe that Bacillus pasteurii urease (BPU) also induces aggregation of rabbit platelets, similar to the ...

The subtle dryness of the skin surrounding the lesions of atopic dermatitis (AD) is called atopic dry skin or atopic xerosis (AX). AX is more susceptible to the development of AD skin lesions under various environmental stimuli than the clinically normal skin of the people who have or have had ...

Evidence is growing that protease-activated receptor-2 (PAR-2) plays a key role in epithelial inflammation. We hypothesized here that PAR-2 plays a central role in epidermal permeability barrier homeostasis by mediating signaling from serine proteases (SP) in the stratum corneum (SC). Since the SC contains tryptic- and chymotryptic-like activity, we assessed ...

A description has been given of those particular microanatomical features of the epidermis which are responsible for its mechanical stability--in particular half desmosomes, the desmosome tonofilament complex and interlocking squames. The functions of these structures have been illustrated by experiments which expose the skin to suction, friction and enzymatic digestion.

The ultrastructure of melanophores and iridophores of Polyodon spathula has been examined by transmission electron microscopy. In the skin, two types of chromatophores, melanophores and iridophores were founded. Melanophores were localized both in epidermis and dermis. Epidermal melanophores were present on the dorsal region of the trunk, sides, outer surface ...

High levels of (+)-catechin are found in the skin and seed of many fruits such as apples and grapes. Dietary supplementation with (+)-catechin has been demonstrated to protect epidermal cells against damage induced by ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation. However, the underlying mechanisms are not well understood yet. To determine whether ...

The present study was undertaken to prepare and evaluate transdermal gels of diclofenac diethylamine (DDEA) containing penetration enhancers such as olesan oil and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). Transdermal gels were prepared using different polymers such as carbopol-940, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), hydroxy propyl methyl cellulose-K(4) M, hydroxy propyl cellulose-M, and sodium carboxy ...

The flavonolignan silybin and its derivative dehydrosilybin have been proposed as candidate UV-protective agents in skin care products. This study addressed the effect of silybin and dehydrosilybin on the activity of cytochrome P450 isoform CYP1A1 in human keratinocytes (HaCaT) and human hepatoma cells (HepG2). CYP1A1 catalytic activity was assessed as ...

UV radiation-induced skin damages may result in pre-cancerous and cancerous skin lesions, and acceleration of skin aging. It involves an imbalance of the endogenous antioxidant system that leads to the increase of free radical levels and inflammation. Therefore, antioxidant supplementation might inhibit such imbalance. In this regard, quercetin is a ...

Inhibition of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX2) by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) is known to suppress skin carcinogenesis. It was further suggested that inhibition of COX2-derived prostaglandins by NSAIDs could reduce levels of putative endogenous ligands of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-beta (PPARbeta), and these ligands could potentiate tumorigenesis. However, it is currently unclear whether ...

BACKGROUND: Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is the main environmental carcinogen. It is able to induce injury in the keratinocytes, which triggers mechanisms in order to protect the skin against molecular alterations that may lead to the development of skin cancer. UVB is capable of producing genotoxic damage, directly or indirectly through ...

PURPOSE: To evaluate cytotoxic and antitumor effects of a conventional anticancer drug Doxorubicin (Dox) and photodynamic therapy (PDT) mediated by a promising photosensitizer of second generation meta-tetra (3-hydroxyphenyl)-chlorin (mTHPC) in combination. METHODS: Murine hepatoma MH-22A was used for investigation in vitro and in vivo. In vitro, the cells were incubated ...