title: Proliferative and morphologic characterization of buccal mucosal fibroblasts in areca nut chewers: a cell culture study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To isolate, culture and characterize fibroblasts from the buccal mucosa of areca nut chewers with and without oral submucous fibrosis (OSF).
  
  
  METHODS
  Primary fibroblast cultures were established by the collagenase disaggregation technique and the phenotypic and growth characteristics were studied.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Cells cultured from OSF showed a statistically significant increase in both the post-mitotic fibroblast subpopulation and the population doubling time when compared with controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There was a significant increase in the pro-fibrotic, post-mitotic subpopulation of fibroblasts in areca nut chewers with OSF.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, Ragas Dental College and Hospital, Chennai, India. deepugeorgemathew@gmail.com
authors.forename: Deepu George
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Mathew
authors.forename: K Skariah
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Skariah
authors.forename: Kannan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ranganathan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D001114:Areca; D002452:Cell Count; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques; D002460:Cell Line; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002469:Cell Separation; D048430:Cell Shape; D017364:Collagenases; D005260:Female; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000145:classification / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008938:Mitosis / Q000502:physiology; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000473:pathology*; D009914:Oral Submucous Fibrosis / Q000473:pathology*; D010641:Phenotype; D051381:Rats; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D017364:Collagenases