Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is characterized by progressive pulmonary scarring, decline in lung function, and often results in death within 3-5 five years after diagnosis. Fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signaling has been implicated in the pathogenesis of IPF; however, the mechanism through which FGF signaling contributes to pulmonary fibrosis remains unclear. We hypothesized that FGF r...

BACKGROUND One of the main challenges in skin flap surgery is tissue ischemia and following necrosis. The present study compares the effects of fibroblast growth factors 1 and 2 on increasing cutaneous vasculature, improving ischemia, and preventing distal necrosis in ischemic skin flaps in rat model. METHODS Thirty rats were allocated into 3 groups (n=10) and 2×8 cm dorsal random-pattern ski...

Previously, it has been shown that rat Schwann cells (SCs), but not olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs), form a boundary with astrocytes, due to a SC-specific secreted factor. Here, we identify highly sulfated heparan sulfates (HSs) and fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) 1 and 9 as possible determinants of boundary formation induced by rat SCs. Disaccharide analysis of HS in SC-conditioned and rat...

BACKGROUND: this study was designed to characterize some of the biochemical and molecular genetic changes during reversion of human fat cells. METHODS: mature adipocytes were isolated from greater omental fat tissue of eight lean and 14 massively obese persons by established methodology. RESULTS: at day 7 of adherence to Leighton tubes, there was appreciable depletion of triacylglycerol, as wel...

Heparin-like saccharides play an essential role in binding to the fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-1 and to their membrane receptors fibroblast growth factor receptor forming a ternary complex that is responsible of the internalization of the signal, via the dimerization of the intracellular regions of the receptor. In this study, we report the binding affinities between five synthetic hexasaccha...

Dysregulated expression of basic fibroblast growth factor [fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF-2)] mediates autocrine growth of melanoma cells. The presence of a consensus Myb binding site in the human FGF-2 promoter prompted us to investigate whether this transcription factor could regulate FGF-2 expression in melanomas. We report that c-MYB mRNA is overexpressed in melanoma cell lines compared to...