title: The effect of retinoic acid and deoxycholic acid on the differentiation of primary human esophageal keratinocytes.
abstract: The mechanism linking gastroduodenal reflux disease to intestinal metaplasia in the esophagus (Barrett's esophagus) has not been determined. Active conjugate metabolites of retinoic acid, in addition to bile acids, undergo an enterohepatic circulation in bile. Retinoic acid and bile acids are candidate mediators of keratinocyte transdifferentiation in Barrett's esophagus. We studied the effects of retinoic acid on the differentiation of primary human esophageal keratinocytes cultured in vitro. Retinoic acid induces expression of a marker of intestinal differentiation, MUC2, in these cells. However, retinoic acid, alone or in combination with the hydrophobic bile acid, deoxycholic acid, does not affect esophageal keratinocyte squamous differentiation as assessed by involucrin expression and cellular morphology. The ability of retinoic acid to induce MUC2 expression may be relevant to the pathogenesis of Barrett's esophagus. However, this does not result in suppression of squamous differentiation.
authors: UCD School of Medicine, UCD Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, Dublin, Ireland.
authors: Gordon
authors: G
authors: Cooke
authors: Alfonso
authors: A
authors: Blanco-Fernandez
authors: John P
authors: JP
authors: Seery
mesh_terms: D001647:Bile Acids and Salts / Q000494:pharmacology; D001706:Biopsy; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002756:Cholagogues and Choleretics / Q000494:pharmacology; D003840:Deoxycholic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004947:Esophagus / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D015603:Keratinocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D007641:Keratolytic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D055262:Mucin-2 / Q000378:metabolism; D014212:Tretinoin / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D001647:Bile Acids and Salts; D002756:Cholagogues and Choleretics; D007641:Keratolytic Agents; C524625:MUC2 protein, human; D055262:Mucin-2; D003840:Deoxycholic Acid; D014212:Tretinoin