The role of mast cell mediators on cervical cancer cell migration was assessed using an in vitro assay of scratch wound healing onto monolayers of HPV18-positive cervical carcinoma cells (SW756). Migration of SW756 cells was accelerated by co-culture with the mast cell line LAD2. This effect was inhibited by the H1R antagonist pyrilamine and the cannabinoid agonists 2-arachidonylglycerol (2AG) and Win 55,212-2.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBirth is the result of complex, well-defined, and coordinated events, that are tightly regulated by endocrine, nervous, and immune responses, and take place primarily in the female reproductive tract. Various mechanisms and mediators involved in pregnancy, labor, and delivery, are highly conserved among different mammalian species and mast cells emerge as potential and crucial participants in these processes, as it is discussed in this review.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Dehydroleucodine (DhL), a sesquiterpene lactone isolated from Artemisia douglasiana Besser, prevents gastroduodenal damage elicited by necrosis-inducing agents such as absolute ethanol. Changes in the number of mast cells or evidence of activation of the cells for mediator release have been observed in a wide spectrum of disease processes involving the gastrointestinal tract. In the present study we examined the effects of DhL on duodenal mast cell population and their histamine content, with the goal of throwing more light on the mechanism of action of the drug.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChronic incubation with elevated D-glucose reduces adenosine transport in endothelial cells. In this study, exposure of human umbilical vein endothelial cells to 25 mmol/L D-glucose or 100 micromol/L ATP, ATP-gamma-S, or UTP, but not ADP or alpha,beta-methylene ATP, reduced adenosine transport with no change in transport affinity. Inhibition of transport by D-glucose, ATP, and ATP-gamma-S was associated with reduced maximal binding, with no changes in the apparent dissociation constant for nitrobenzylthioinosine (NBMPR).
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