Collagen is the protein primarily responsible for the load-bearing properties of tissues and collagen architecture is one of the main determinants of the mechanical properties of tissues. Visualisation of changes in collagen three-dimensional structure is essential in order to improve our understanding of collagen fibril formation and remodelling, e.g. in tissue engineering experiments. A recen...

Decrease in fibroblast-produced collagen has been proven to be the pivotal cause of skin aging, but there is no satisfactory drug which directly increases dermal thickness and collage density. Here we found that a flavonoid natural product, apigenin, could significantly increase collagen synthesis. NIH/3T3 and primary human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs) were incubated with various concentrations of...

Vertical growth phase (VGP) melanoma is frequently metastatic, a process mediated by changes in gene expression, which are directed by signal transduction pathways in the tumor cells. A prominent signaling pathway is the Ras-Raf-Mek-Erk MAPK pathway, which increases expression of genes that promote melanoma progression. Many melanomas harbor a mutation in this pathway, BRAF(V600E), which consti...

Abnormal regulation of collagen synthesis has been observed in fibroblasts from keloids, benign collagenous tumors that develop as a result of an inherited defect in dermal wound healing. Hydrocortisone reduces the rate of collagen synthesis in fibroblasts from normal adult dermis and scars, but fails to down regulate collagen synthesis in keloid-derived fibroblasts. We show here that loss of g...

OBJECTIVES The primary aim of this study was to investigate the role of CD14 and TLR4 in type I, type III collagen expression, synthesis and secretion in LPS-induced normal human skin fibroblasts. The secondary aim was to provide theoretical basis for the molecular mechanisms of scar formation induced by LPS. METHODS The normal skin fibroblasts cultured in vitro were randomly divided into fou...

Full‑thickness and large area defects of articular cartilage are unable to completely repair themselves and require surgical intervention, including microfracture, autologous or allogeneic osteochondral grafts, and autologous chondrocyte implantation. A large proportion of regenerative cartilage exists as fibrocartilage, which is unable to withstand impacts in the same way as native hyaline car...

Variations in physical toughness between muscles and animals are a function of growth rate and extend of collagen type I and III. The current study was designed to investigate the ability of growth rate, collagen concentration, collagen synthesizing and degrading genes on two different fibroblast cells derived from Hanwoo m. longissimus dorsi (LD) and semimembranosus (SM) muscles. Fibroblast ce...

Procollagen mRNA was isolated from mouse embryos and used for the synthesis of a highly labelled cDNA probe complementary to collagen mRNA. This probe was used for the investigation of procollagen mRNA metabolism during the cell cycle of 3T6 mouse embryo fibroblasts in culture. Titration hybridization experiments revealed that procollagen mRNA was present throughout the cell cycle following stu...

Gamma-interferon (G-IFN) exhibits antiproliferative effects, inhibits collagen synthesis by fibroblasts, and may help to regulate the turnover of fibrous tissue. Fibroblasts from Tenon's capsule are cellular components that contribute to unsuccessful glaucoma filtration surgery. Therefore, the authors studied the effects of G-IFN on growth, wound closure, collagen synthesis, and extracellular m...

Aim-To investigate the distribution of type III collagen in membranous glomerulonephritis (MGN); to identify the cells responsible for the synthesis of alpha1 (III) mRNA.method-The distribution of type III collagen was studied by immunohistochemistry in 10 renal biopsy specimens, histologically diagnosed as MGN, and five control renal tissue samples obtained at surgery. Synthesis of alpha1 (III...