The effect of an intravenous injection of squid-ink (sepia-melanin) solution on adult mouse spheroid alveolar epithelial cells was observed by the electron microscope. Sepia-melanin particles were seen in all alveolar wall cells examined that seems to suggest the entrance of sepia-melanin particles into the spheroid alveolar epithlial cells from the alveolar blood capillary. In cases of large p...

BACKGROUND Proteinase-activated receptors (PARs; PAR1-4) that can be activated by serine proteinases such as thrombin and neutrophil catepsin G are known to contribute to the pathogenesis of various pulmonary diseases including fibrosis. Among these PARs, especially PAR4, a newly identified subtype, is highly expressed in the lung. Here, we examined whether PAR4 stimulation plays a role in the ...

Lung alveolar epithelial cells are normally very well oxygenated but may be exposed to hypoxia in many pathological conditions such as pulmonary edema, acute respiratory distress syndrome, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, or in some environmental conditions such ascent to high altitude. The ability of alveolar epithelial cells to cope with low oxygen tensions is crucial to maintain the s...

Biologically active interleukin (IL)-1beta is present in the pulmonary edema fluid obtained from patients with acute lung injury and has been implicated as an important early mediator of nonpulmonary epithelial wound repair. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that IL-1beta would enhance wound repair in cultured monolayers from rat alveolar epithelial type II cells. IL-1beta (20 ng/ml) increase...

Exposure to bleomycin in rodents induces lung injury and fibrosis. Alveolar epithelial cell death has been hypothesized as an initiating mechanism underlying bleomycin-induced lung injury and fibrosis. In the present study we evaluated the contribution of mitochondrial and receptor-meditated death pathways in bleomycin-induced death of mouse alveolar epithelial cells (MLE-12 cells) and primary ...

a new series of 1,2-diaryl-4,5,6,7-tetrahydro-1h-benzo[d]imidazoles, possessing trimethoxy phenyl pharmacophore, were synthesized to evaluate their biological activities as tubulin inhibitors. cytotoxic activity of the synthesized compounds 7a-f was assessed against several human cancer cell lines, including mcf-7 (breast cancer cell), hepg2 (liver hepatocellular cells), a549 (adenocarcinomic h...

two set of 2-aryl-5,6-dihydropyrrolo[2,1-a] isoquinolines were designed and synthesized to evaluate their biological activities as topoisomerase inhibitors. cytotoxic activity of the synthesized compounds 4a-e and 7a-d was assessed against several human cancer cell lines, including mcf-7 (breast cancer cell), hepg2 (liver hepatocellular cells), a549 (adenocarcinomic human alveolar basal epithel...

Mechanisms leading to fibroblast accumulation during pulmonary fibrogenesis remain unclear. Although there is in vitro evidence of lung alveolar epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), whether EMT occurs within the lung is currently unknown. Biopsies from fibrotic human lungs demonstrate epithelial cells with mesenchymal features, suggesting EMT. To more definitively test the capacity of al...

stem cells located at the limbus ,  are the ultimate source for regeneration of the corneal epithelium in the normal and traumatized states.  when limbal stem cells are dysfunctional or deficient, limbal stem cell deficiency (lscd) develops. its surgical management depends on laterality and severity of corneal-limbal involvement. conventional methods of stem cell transplantation are conjunctiva...

Deformation of the alveolar epithelial basement membrane with lung inflation has been implicated in blood-gas barrier breakdown during the development of ventilator-induced lung injury. To determine the vulnerability of alveolar epithelial cells to deformation-induced injury, we developed a cell-stretching device that subjects cells to cyclic, equibiaxial strains. Alveolar epithelial type II ce...