To assess the direct fibrogenic effects of cyclosporin A (CyA) on the human tubulointerstitium, primary cultures of human renal proximal tubule cells (PTC) and renal cortical fibroblasts (CF) were incubated for 24 h with various concentrations of CyA. Cytotoxicity was confirmed in both cell populations by dose-dependent inhibition of thymidine incorporation, viability, and PTC apical sodium-hyd...

Transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGF-beta1) plays important roles in the early development of the nervous system and has been implicated in neuronal plasticity in adult organisms. It induces long-term increases in sensory neuron excitability in Aplysia as well as a long-term enhancement of synaptic efficacy at sensorimotor synapses. In addition, TGF-beta1 acutely regulates synapsin phosphoryl...

In the present study, the concentration of TGF-beta1 secreted by adherent cells isolated from human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and either stimulated with PGL-1 or lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or left unstimulated was determined by ELISA. The cells were isolated from untreated patients with different clinical forms of leprosy and healthy individuals. The adherent cells exhibited spont...

Transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1), a key cytokine for control of cell growth, extracellular matrix formation, and inflammation control, is secreted by many cells present in the arteriosclerotic plaque. Lipid accumulation in the vessel wall is regarded as an early step in atherogenesis and depends on uptake of modified low-density lipoprotein (LDL) by macrophages through scavenger rec...

OBJECTIVE To investigate the presence of transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-ß1) and connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) in women with pelvic organ prolapse (POP). METHODS This study was conducted from May to December 2009. Fifty patients with POP that underwent vaginal hysterectomy in the Department of Gynecology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Hubei, Wuhan, China were enrolled i...

Ethanol and its metabolite acetaldehyde increase transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF-beta1) expression in animal studies. TGF-beta1 is related with the hepatic stellate cell (the key element of hepatic fibrogenesis) and the radial glia (the key element of neuronal migration). Blood samples were collected from 41 patients with alcohol dependence, TGF-beta1 levels measured by ELISA were compare...

Circulating Transforming Growth Factor1 Levels in Asymptomatic Carotid Plaques To the Editor: It was with great interest we read the report by Cipollone et al1 on the role of transforming growth factor1 (TGF1) in the process of plaque stabilization. The authors demonstrate that TGFmRNA levels are increased up to 3-fold in asymptomatic as compared with symptomatic plaques, with a parallel increa...

Excess transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) in the kidney leads to increased cell proliferation and deposition of extracellular matrix, resulting in progressive kidney fibrosis. TGF-beta1, however, stabilizes and attenuates tissue injury through the activation of cytoprotective proteins, including heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1). HO-1 catabolizes pro-oxidant heme into substances with anti-oxida...

We investigated the mechanism of the anti-fibrotic effects of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) in the kidney, with respect to its effect on connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), a down-stream, profibrotic mediator of transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1). In wild-type (WT) mice with 5/6 nephrectomy (Nx), HGF and TGF-beta1 mRNAs increased transiently in the remnant kidney by week 1 after ...