10 research outputs found

    3,5,3'- Triiodo-L-thyronine enhances the differentiation of a human pancreatic duct cell line (hPANC-1)towards a beta-cell-like phenotype

    No full text
    The thyroid hormone, 3,5,3'-Triiodo-L-thyronine (T3), is essential for growth, differentiation, and regulation of metabolic functions in multicellular organisms, although the specific mechanisms of this control are still unknown. In this study, treatment of a human pancreatic duct cell line (hPANC-1) with T3 blocks cell growth by an increase of cells in G(0)/G(1) cell cycle phase and enhances morphological and functional changes as indicated by the marked increase in the synthesis of insulin and the parallel decrease of the ductal differentiation marker cytokeratin19. Expression analysis of some of the genes regulating pancreatic beta-cell differentiation revealed a time-dependent increase in insulin and glut2 mRNA levels in response to T3. As last step of the acquisition of a beta-cell-like phenotype, we present evidence that thyroid hormones are able to increase the release of insulin into the culture medium. In conclusion, our results suggest, for the first time, that thyroid hormones induce cell cycle perturbations and play an important role in the process of transdifferentiation of a human pancreatic duct line (hPANC-1) into pancreatic-beta-cell-like cells. These findings have important implications in cell-therapy based treatment of diabetes and may provide important insights in the designing of novel therapeutic agents to restore normal glycemia in subjects with diabetes

    High-mobility group box 1 protein in human and murine skin: Involvement in wound healing

    No full text
    High-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) protein is a multifunctional cytokine involved in inflammatory responses and tissue repair. In this study, it was examined whether HMGB1 plays a role in skin wound repair both in normoglycemic and diabetic mice. HMGB1 was detected in the nucleus of skin cells, and accumulated in the cytoplasm of epidermal cells in the wounded skin. Diabetic human and mouse skin showed more reduced HMGB1 levels than their normoglycemic counterparts. Topical application of HMGB1 to the wounds of diabetic mice enhanced arteriole density, granulation tissue deposition, and accelerated wound healing. In contrast, HMGB1 had no effect in normoglycemic mouse skin wounds, where endogenous HMGB1 levels may be adequate for optimal wound closure. Accordingly, inhibition of endogenous HMGB1 impaired wound healing in normal mice but had no effect in diabetic mice. Finally, HMGB1 had a chemotactic effect on skin fibroblasts and keratinoyctes in vitro. In conclusion, lower HMGB1 levels in diabetic skin may play an important role in impaired wound healing and this defect may be overcome by the topical application of HMGB1
    corecore