Proliferative and morphologic characterization of buccal mucosal fibroblasts in areca nut chewers: a cell culture study.

OBJECTIVE To isolate, culture and characterize fibroblasts from the buccal mucosa of areca nut chewers with and without oral submucous fibrosis (OSF). MATERIALS AND METHODS Primary fibroblast cultures were established by the collagenase disaggregation technique and the phenotypic and growth characteristics were studied. RESULTS Cells cultured from OSF showed a statistically significant increase in both the post-mitotic fibroblast subpopulation and the population doubling time when compared with controls. CONCLUSION There was a significant increase in the pro-fibrotic, post-mitotic subpopulation of fibroblasts in areca nut chewers with OSF.