Objective: Many researchers have been more interested in inflammatory changes in tumor stroma recently. Recent studies have shown that mast cells are significantly increased in human skin basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and are associated with tumor aggressiveness. In this study, we compared the number of mast cell population expressing c-kit in the BCC samples and normal skin. We also evaluated the...

The granules of mast cells contain a myriad of mediators that are stored and protected by the sulfated glycosaminoglycan (GAG) chains that decorate proteoglycans. Whereas heparin is the GAG predominantly associated with mast cells, mast cell proteoglycans are also decorated with heparan sulfate and chondroitin sulfate (CS). This study investigated a unique CS structure produced by mast cells th...

This is in response to a “Letter to the Editor (1)” by Dr. Bradding regarding our manuscript entitled “Airway smooth muscle cells enhance C3a-induced mast cell degranulation following cell-cell contact” that was published in your journal recently (2). Dr. Bradding contends that our manuscript, which utilizes a C3a-responsive human mast cell line, is misleading because “it ignores wealth of cons...

Mast cells are critical actors of hypersensitivity type I (allergic) reactions by the release of vasoactive and proinflammatory mediators following their activation by aggregation of the high-affinity receptor for immunoglobulin E (FcεRI). We have previously identified Phospholipid Scramblase 1 (PLSCR1) as a new molecular intermediate of FcεRI signaling that amplifies degranulation of the rat m...

Mast cells (MCs) are long-lived resident cells known for their substantial role in antigen-induced anaphylaxis and other immunoglobulin E-mediated allergic reactions as well as tumor promotion. MCs' activation results in the release of pro-inflammatory factors such as histamine, tryptase, tumor necrosis factor or carboxypeptidase A stored in secretory granules. IgE-dependent hypersensitivity ha...

Abstract Background Numerous disorders can cause recurrent abdominal pain. Many of these cases underwent endoscopy and clinician encounters patients with history of recurrent abdominal pain and normal endoscopy. We evaluated these biopsies with regard to their eosinophils and mast cell densities to find out a potential relationship between recurrent abdominal pain with eosinophils and mast ce...

BACKGROUND Many inflammatory mediators, including various cytokines (e.g. interleukins and tumor necrosis factor [TNF]), inflammatory proteases, and histamine are released following mast cell activation. However, the endogenous modulators for mast cell activation and the underlying mechanism have yet to be elucidated. Endogenous cannabinoids such as palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) and N-arachidonoy...

Stem cell factor (SCF) is an important mast cell growth, differentiation, and survival factor. We investigated whether SCF influenced the response of mouse mast cells to an IgE-independent stimulus, eosinophil-derived granule major basic protein (MBP). Mouse bone marrow cultured mast cells (BMCMC) were derived in either concanavalin-stimulated mouse spleen conditioned medium (CM) or SCF. The cl...

Mast cells are best known for their role in allergic reactions, where aggregation of FcεRI leads to the release of mast cell mediators causing allergic symptoms. The activation also induces a survival program in the cells, i.e., activation-induced mast cell survival. The aim of the present study was to investigate how the activation-induced survival is mediated. Cord blood-derived mast cells an...

background & aim: according to presence of immune system factors in chronic periapical lesions, hypersensitivity reactions may have some role in pathogenesis of these lesions. up to now, among the factors participating in type i hypersensitivity reaction, only one of them has been studied. so the aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between the presence of ige & number of mast cel...