title: Autocrine-acting early secreted mitogenic activity: production and responsiveness in cultures of normal human keratinocytes as a function of in vivo and in vitro age.
abstract: Cultured epithelial grafts are used in the clinical treatment of both non-healing and acute partial-thickness wounds, owing to their ability to stimulate endogenous re-epithelialization. We have previously demonstrated that during the first 24 h following plating, human epidermal keratinocytes secrete an autocrine-acting mitogenic activity. Since the biological activity of cultured grafts is believed to decrease with cellular age, the effect of both in vivo and in vitro keratinocyte age on the secretion of this mitogenic activity, as well as on responsiveness to this activity, was studied. Keratinocytes from donors ranging in age from 2 to 81 years were analysed at increasing in vitro population doublings. Secretion into the medium of the mitogenic activity was not affected by either in vivo or in vitro cellular ageing, while responsiveness of keratinocytes to this mitogenic activity was age-related. These results suggest that cultured grafts from elderly donors may be effective in wound treatment.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Biologia e Genetica per le Scienze mediche, Università di Milano, via Viotti 3/5, Milano, Italy. MariaLuisa.Tenchini@unimi.it
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Tenchini
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Savant
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Paini
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Montefusco
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Donati
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Malcovati
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D019898:Autocrine Communication / Q000187:drug effects*; D001706:Biopsy; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D016922:Cellular Senescence / Q000502:physiology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D017077:Culture Media, Conditioned / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015603:Keratinocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000637:transplantation; D008297:Male; D008934:Mitogens / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000187:drug effects; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy
chemical_list: D017077:Culture Media, Conditioned; D008934:Mitogens