OBJECTIVES To review the importance of mucin on a molecular level in the understanding of the pathophysiology of otitis media and to present new data demonstrating differential up-regulation of specific mucin genes during inflammation of middle ear epithelium. DESIGN Primary chinchilla middle ear epithelial cultures (CMEECs) were established and exposed to tumor necrosis factor alpha and inte...

Pseudomonas aeruginosa has emerged as an important causative agent of bacterial keratitis, a rapidly progressive ocular condition that may result in blindness. Secretory mucin forms the main constituent of the precorneal tear film, a three-layer film on the ocular surface protecting the underlying corneal epithelium from potential pathogens. The purpose of the present study was to compare mucin...

Patients with mucinous colorectal cancers characteristically present with advanced disease, however, the relationship between mucin production by colon cancer cells and their metastatic potential remains unclear. We therefore sought to define the relationship between mucin production by human colon cancer cells and metastatic ability by employing animal models of colon cancer metastasis. LS LiM...

GuliTiiii-3. an endogenous ß-galactoside-binding lectin. is present on colon cancer cells and may play a role in metastasis. Galcctin-3 hinds poly-.V-acetyllactosamine structures on glycoproteins. but its natural li gands remain to be fully defined. Galectin-3 bound to purified native and desialylated colon cancer mucin in a concentration-dependent manner, which »ascompletely inhibited by 0.1...

Contact lens-related complications are common, affecting around one third of wearers, although most mild and easily managed. lenses have well-defined anatomical physiological effects on the ocular surface can result in other consequences due to presence a biologically active material. A contact lens interacts with tear film, surface, skin, endogenous environmental microorganisms, components car...

The mucus layer plays an important role as an intermediate for the protection of the gut against acidic chyme, digestive enzymes, and pathogens; in addition, it acts as a lubricant and facilitator of nutrient transportation. Phytogenic compounds seem to promote intestinal mucus production. OBJECTIVES: The current study was conducted to investigate the effects of low and high levels of energy an...

AIM To investigate the effect of chymase on the mucin secretion from human bronchial epithelial cells. METHODS Primarily-cultured human bronchial epithelial (PCHBE) cells and normal human bronchial epithelial (NHBE) cells were cultured with chymase or other stimulus in a mixture of bronchial epithelial growth medium (BEGM) and Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM), and the quantities of s...

In the course of a series of investigations undertaken in this laboratory to obtain as complete a knowledge as possible of the physiology of normal and pathological joints, investigations concerning the metabolism of ‘synovial fluid mucin were undertaken. The two possible mechanisms for removal of mucin from the joint appear to be enzymatic destruction within the joint or removal by way of the ...

There is intense interest in how bacteria interact with mucin glycoproteins in order to colonise mucosal surfaces. In this study, we have assessed the feasibility of using recombinant mucin glycoproteins to study the interaction of the gastric pathogen Helicobacter pylori with MUC5AC, a mucin which the organism exhibits a distinct tropism for. Stable clonal populations of cells expressing a con...

OBJECTIVES Cationic antimicrobial peptides (CAPs) are the effector molecules of innate immunity, similar in potency to classic antibiotics that function in the first-line of defence against infectious agents. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of negatively charged mucins on the antibacterial activity of the positively charged cathelicidin LL-37 peptide, its synthetic anal...