Search results for "Microscopy"

Medium-term Culture of Normal Human Oral Mucosa: A Novel Three-dimensional Model to Study the Effectiveness of Drugs Administration

2012

Tissue-engineered oral mucosal equivalents have been developed for in vitro studies for a few years now. However, the usefulness of currently available models is still limited by many factors, mainly the lack of a physiological extracellular matrix (ECM) and the use of cell populations that do not reflect the properly differentiated cytotypes of the mucosa of the oral cavity. For this reason, we have developed a novel three-dimensional culture model reflecting the normal architecture of the human oral mucosa, with the main aim of creating a better in vitro model where to test cellular responses to drugs administration. This novel 3D cell culture model (3D outgrowth) was set up using an arti…

Induction of Cell Differentiation in Transformed Keratinocytes by Synthetic (Glyco)peptides from the Homophilic Recognition Domain of E-Cadherin

2002

Exosomes released by keratinocytes modulate melanocyte pigmentation

2015

Cells secrete extracellular vesicles (EVs), exosomes and microvesicles, which transfer proteins, lipids and RNAs to regulate recipient cell functions. Skin pigmentation relies on a tight dialogue between keratinocytes and melanocytes in the epidermis. Here we report that exosomes secreted by keratinocytes enhance melanin synthesis by increasing both the expression and activity of melanosomal proteins. Furthermore, we show that the function of keratinocyte-derived exosomes is phototype-dependent and is modulated by ultraviolet B. In sum, this study uncovers an important physiological function for exosomes in human pigmentation and opens new avenues in our understanding of how pigmentation is…

Potential antipsoriatic effect of chondroitin sulfate through inhibition of NF-κB and STAT3 in human keratinocytes

2012

Abstract Chondroitin sulfate (CS) is a natural glycosaminoglycan, formed by the 1–3 linkage of d -glucuronic acid to N-acetylgalactosamine, present in the extracellular matrix. It is used as a slow acting disease modifying agent in the treatment of osteoarthritis, and part of its beneficial effects are due to its antiinflammatory properties that result from an inhibitory effect on NF-κB signaling pathway. This ability raises the hypothesis that CS might be effective in other chronic inflammatory processes such as psoriasis, in which a deregulation of NF-κB is a key feature. In addition, psoriasis is characterized by an upregulation of STAT3 signaling pathway that is related to the epidermal…

Preliminary approach to elucidate the role of pigment as a binding site for drugs and chemicals in anagen hairs: pigments as carriers for 3 H-haloper…

2002

In view of the melanin-binding characteristics of haloperidol and its differential uptake by pigment- and non-pigment-producing cells, a co-culture of HaCaT with Sk-Mel-1 cell lines was performed to investigate whether melanosomes act as carriers for drug molecules associated with the pigments. Initially, HaCaT and Sk-Mel-1 cells were separately cultivated in the presence of 3H-haloperidol (400 pmol/ml medium ) for 28 days followed by subsequent co-cultivation in the absence of 3H-haloperidol for 5 days. The transfer of pigments into the keratinocytes during co-culture was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy. After the co-culture experiments a striking increase (or = 50%) of 3H-ha…

Development of novel diolein–niosomes for cutaneous delivery of tretinoin: Influence of formulation and in vitro assessment

2014

Abstract This work describes innovative niosomes, composed of diolein alone or in association with the hydrophilic penetration enhancer Labrasol ® , as carriers for cutaneous drug delivery. The model drug was tretinoin and conventional, and Labrasol ® containing liposomes was used as controls to evaluate the influence of vesicle composition and the role of Labrasol ® on vesicle physico-chemical properties and performance as skin delivery system. Vesicles, prepared by the thin film hydration technique, were characterized in terms of size distribution, morphology, zeta potential, structure, incorporation efficiency, and rheological properties. The influence of carrier composition on tretinoin…

Formulation of liposomes loading lentisk oil to ameliorate topical delivery, attenuate oxidative stress damage and improve cell migration in scratch …

2021

[EN] Pistacia lentiscus L. is a sclerophyllous shrub capable of growing under harsh climatic conditions especially in the Mediterranean Basin. Different products can be obtained from this plant, such as essential oil, mastic gum or even fixed oil. The last is well known for its flavor which is mainly exploited in the food industry. Additionally, it has been traditionally used in the treatment of skin diseases, but, at the moment, any suitable formulation for skin delivery has been formulated and its biological effects was not deeply confirmed. Given that, in the present study, the lentisk oil has been formulated in liposomes at different concentrations (10, 20, 30 mg/ml) and their physicoch…

Induction of inflammatory cytokines in murine keratinocytes upon in vivo stimulation with contact sensitizers and tolerizing analogues

1992

In order to elucidate the role of keratinocytes (KCs) in the induction of contact sensitivity, we applied various contact sensitizers [2,4-dinitrofluorobenzene (DNFB), urushiol, 3-n-pentadecylcatechol (PDC), 4-ethoxymethylene-2-phenyloxazol-5-one (oxazolone)] and tolerizing compounds [2,4-dinitrothiocyanobenzene (DNTB), 5-methyl-3-n-pentadecyl-catechol (5-Me-PDC)] onto the earskin of non-sensitized Balb/c mice. In addition, we applied croton oil as a non-sensitizing, but stimulatory agent. Cytokine production was demonstrated by Northern blot hybridization of the total cellular RNA extracted from epidermal cells depleted by Langerhans cells and Thy 1+ dendritic cells using radiolabeled DNA …

The use of in vivo confocal microscopy in fungal keratitis – Progress and challenges

2022

Fungal keratitis (FK) is a serious and sight-threatening corneal infection with global reach. The need for prompt diagnosis is paramount, as a delay in initiation of treatment could lead to irreversible vision loss. Current “gold standard” diagnostic methods, namely corneal smear and culture, have limitations due to diagnostic insensitivity and their time-consuming nature. PCR is a newer, complementary method used in the diagnosis of fungal keratitis, whose results are also sample-dependent. In vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) is a promising complementary diagnostic method of increasing importance as it allows non-invasive real-time direct visualization of potential fungal pathogens and mani…

Influence of cryogenic grinding on properties of a self-emulsifying formulation

2003

Abstract Recently, self-emulsifying drug delivery systems (SEDDS) have been developed as a method to deliver lipophilic drugs. Gelucire® 44/14 is an excipient, from the lauroyl macrogolglycerides family, producing a fine oil-in-water emulsion when introduced into an aqueous phase under gentle agitation as SEDDS, improving thereby solubility of poorly water-soluble drugs and their bioavailability. The aims of this study were to process Gelucire® 44/14 into a powder by cryogenic grinding to produce solid oral dosage forms and to investigate influence of this process on different properties of a formulation made of Gelucire® 44/14 and ketoprofen (90/10). Cryogenic grinding produced Gelucire® 4…