BACKGROUND We investigated whether prunetin significantly affects tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)-induced MUC5AC mucin gene expression, production, inhibitory kappa B (IκB) degradation and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) p65 translocation in human airway epithelial cells. METHODS Confluent NCI-H292 cells were pretreated with prunetin for 30 minutes and then stimulated with TNF-α for 24 hours o...

Mucins (MUC) play crucial roles in carcinogenesis and tumor invasion in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMNs). Our immunohistochemistry (IHC) studies have shown a consensus position on mucin expression profiles in pancreatic neoplasms as follows: MUC1-positive but MUC2-negative expression in PDACs; MUC1-negative but MUC2-positive expression...

Mucins are high molecular-weight glycoproteins involved in the protection and lubrication of respiratory, gastrointestinal, and reproductive tracts. Hypersecretory diseases such as cystic fibrosis (CF), chronic bronchitis, and asthma result in dysregulated levels of mucin production stemming from increased abundance of mucin-secreting cell types in the surface airway epithelium and submucosal g...

Hypersecretory disease associated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) infections is characterised by increased goblet cells and increased mucin production. Recently, an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signalling cascade was shown to be a common pathway through which many stimuli induce mucin MUC5AC expression in airways by differentiation to a goblet cell phenotype. This study looked at wh...

GNAS, a gene encoding G protein stimulating α subunit, is frequently mutated in intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMNs), which are indolent and slow-growing pancreatic tumors that secrete abundant mucin. The GNAS mutation is not observed in conventional ductal adenocarcinomas of the pancreas. To determine the functional significance of the GNAS mutation in pancreatic ductal lineage cel...

Mucin desulfation is believed to be a rate-limiting step in mucin degradation by colon bacteria. The activities of enzymes hydrolysing nine linkages found in mucin oligosaccharide chains were measured using model substrates, in extracts of two mucin-degrading bacteria, Prevotella strain RS2 and Bacteroides fragilis. Sulfatases desulfating N-acetylglucosamine-6-sulfate, galactose-6-sulfate and g...

Phenotypic expression of tumor cells was investigated in 33 early gastric carcinomas by mucin histochemistry using paradoxical concanavalin A staining. This staining method had been developed to differentiate 3 classes of mucins located at various sites of the alimentary tract. Twenty-five (76%) tumors contained mixtures of neutral or acid class II mucin and class III mucin, suggesting the orig...

The study aimed at determining the effect of acid modified porcine mucin powder on the release and permeation of insulin in transdermal patches. Various batches of insulin patches were prepared by solvent casting method using polysorbate 80 as emulsifying agent and acid treated and untreated mucin powders as base. The patches were evaluated for their physical properties, folding endurance, moi...

The lubrication effect of three long-chain polymers - mucin, methylcellulose and Ficoll - on ciliary propulsion in tubes is measured by plotting the relative velocities of swimming cilitates as a function of the tube bore diameter. Mucin shows the most unequivocal lubrication, which is found at concentrations between 0% and 9.1% (w/v). This observation, coupled with viscometric measurements whi...

BACKGROUND/AIMS Gallstone pathogenesis is linked to mucin hypersecretion and bacterial infection. Several mucin genes have been identified in gallbladder epithelial cells (GBECs). We investigated MUC expression in cholesterol-associated gallbladder disease and evaluated the relationship between mucin and bacterial infection. METHODS The present study involved 20 patients with cholesterol ston...