Biomedical subjects

Ching-Shuang Wu

Publications and source records attributed to Ching-Shuang Wu.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Low-energy helium-neon laser induces locomotion of the immature melanoblasts and promotes melanogenesis of the more differentiated melanoblasts: recapitulation of vitiligo repigmentation in vitro.

Helium-neon laser (He-Ne Laser, 632.8 nm) is a low-energy laser that has therapeutic efficacy on various clinical conditions. Our previous study has demonstrated efficacy of He-Ne laser on vitiligo, a disease characterized by skin depigmentation. To regain skin tone on vitiligo lesions, the process began by the migration of the immature melanoblasts (MBs) to the epidermis, which was followed by their functional development to produce melanin. In this study, we investigated the physiologic effects of He-Ne laser irradiation on two MB cell lines: the immature NCCmelb4 and the more differentiated NCCmelan5. The intricate interactions between MBs with their innate extracelluar matrix, fibronectin, were also addressed. Our results showed that He-Ne laser irradiation enhanced NCCmelb4 mobility via enhanced phosphorylated focal adhesion kinase expression and promoted melanogenesis in NCCmelan5. In addition, He-Ne laser decreased the affinity between NCCmelb4 and fibronectin, whereas the attachment of NCCmelan5 to fibronectin increased. The alpha5beta1 integrin expression on NCCmelb4 cells was enhanced by He-Ne laser. In conclusion, we have demonstrated that He-Ne laser induced different physiologic changes on MBs at different maturation stages and recapitulated the early events during vitiligo repigmentation process brought upon by He-Ne laser in vitro.

Animals↗

PubMed2006

Diagnostic role of soluble fas ligand secretion by peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients with previous drug-induced blistering disease: a pilot study.

Toxic epidermal necrolysis and Stevens-Johnson syndrome are severe blistering diseases generally considered to be hypersensitivity reaction to drugs. The aim of this study is to explore the diagnostic role of soluble Fas ligand secretion by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in patients with previous drug-induced blistering diseases with or without stimulation with the offending drug. The results revealed that PBMCs from the patient group showed significant soluble Fas ligand secretion after stimulation with 100 microg/ml culprit drug (p<0.05). No significant change was seen in the control groups (p>0.05). Taken as a group, PBMCs from the patient group secreted more soluble Fas ligand than the normal control group regardless of drug stimulation. These results indicate that individuals whose PBMCs are high secretors of soluble Fas ligand are prone to severe toxic epidermal necrolysis/Stevens-Johnson syndrome. The possibility of using soluble Fas ligand secretion as a tool for retrospective determination of culprit drugs in patients with previous drug-induced blistering disease awaits further investigation.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Basic fibroblast growth factor promotes melanocyte migration via increased expression of p125(FAK) on melanocytes.

Vitiligo is an acquired pigmentary disorder characterized by depigmentation of skin and hair. Melanocyte migration is an important event in re-pigmentation of vitiligo. We have demonstrated that narrow-band ultraviolet B (UVB) irradiation stimulated cultured keratinocytes to release a significant amount of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF). Furthermore, narrow-band UVB enhanced migration of melanocytes via increased expression of phosphorylated focal adhesion kinase (p125(FAK)) on melanocytes. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of recombinant human bFGF (rhbFGF) on melanocyte migration. The relationship between the expression of p125(FAK) and melanocyte migration induced by rhbFGF was also studied. Our results demonstrated that rhbFGF significantly enhanced migration of melanocytes and p125(FAK) expression on melanocytes. Herbimycin A, a potent p125(FAK) inhibitor, effectively abolished rhbFGF-induced melanocyte migration. The combined results indicated that p125(FAK) plays an important role in the signal transduction pathway of melanocyte migration induced by bFGF.

Benzoquinones↗

PubMed2005

Pigmentation in basal cell carcinoma involves enhanced endothelin-1 expression.

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most prevalent malignant skin tumor. In Asian patients, marked pigmentation in BCC lesions is often observed. Recently, endothelins (ETs) have been implicated to participate in the pigmentation process of BCC. Therefore, we set out to investigate the involvement of ET in the pigmentation process of BCC and the potential regulators in the pigmentation pathway. We explored the effects of an established BCC cell line on melanocytes. The growth factor profiles of BCC culture supernatant and effects of supernatant on melanocytes were documented. Potential regulators involved in the pigmentation pathway were also studied. The immunohistochemical staining of pigmented and non-pigmented BCC specimens was performed to confirm our in vitro findings. Our results showed that BCC supernatant contained significant amount of ET-1, basic fibroblast growth factor, and nerve growth factor. Furthermore, BCC supernatant stimulated melanin formation of cultured melanocytes. Addition of ET-receptor antagonist abrogated the melanogenic effect of BCC supernatant on melanocytes. Introduction of UVB irradiation decreased the ET-1 secretion by BCC cells. Immunohistochemical staining of the pigmented facial BCC specimens showed prominent expression of ET-1 on pigmented BCC, while the non-pigmented facial BCC specimens showed little ET-1 reactivity. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) staining showed little expression on BCC specimens, regardless of pigmentation status. In summary, our results indicate that enhanced ET-1 expression in pigmented BCC plays an important role in the hyperpigmentation of this tumor. Moreover, this enhanced ET-1 cascade showed little correlation with UV irradiation and TNF-alpha expression in our study.

Basal Cell Carcinoma↗

PubMed2004

Narrow-band ultraviolet-B stimulates proliferation and migration of cultured melanocytes.

Narrow-band ultraviolet-B (UVB) radiation is an effective treatment for vitiligo vulgaris. However, the mechanisms of narrow-band UVB in inducing repigmentation of vitiligo lesions are not thoroughly clarified. The purpose of our study was to investigate the effects of narrow-band UVB irradiation on melanocyte proliferation and migration in vitro. Our results showed that the cell counts as well as [3H]thymidine uptake of melanocytes were significantly enhanced by narrow-band UVB-irradiated keratinocyte supernatants. In these supernatants, a significant increase in basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and in endothelin-1 (ET-1) release was observed. bFGF is a natural mitogen for melanocytes, whereas ET-1 can stimulate DNA synthesis in melanocytes. This stimulatory effect of melanocyte proliferation by supernatants derived from narrow-band UVB-irradiated keratinocytes was significantly reduced by a selective endothelin-B (ET-B) receptor antagonist (BQ788), suggesting an essential role of ET-1 on melanocyte proliferation. Our results of time-lapse microphotography revealed a stimulatory effect of narrow-band UVB irradiation on melanocyte migration. Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) plays a pivotal role in cell migration. Phosphorylated FAK (p125(FAK)) expression on melanocyte was enhanced by narrow-band UVB irradiation. In this study, narrow-band UVB irradiation stimulated a significant increase in matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) activity in melanocyte supernatants. Narrow-band UVB-irradiation-induced migration of melanocytes was significantly annihilated by the addition of p125(FAK) inhibitor (herbimycin-A) or MMP-2 inhibitor (GM6001). These results suggest that p125(FAK) and MMP-2 activity play important roles in narrow-band UVB-induced migration of melanocytes. Our results provide a theoretical basis for the effectiveness of narrow-band UVB irradiation in treating vitiligo.

Cell Movement↗

PubMed2002

Effect and correlation of serum total IgE, eosinophil granule cationic proteins and sensitized allergens in atopic dermatitis patients with or without rhinitis.

To understand the relevance of serological parameters and eliciting allergens in the patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) and patients with atopic dermatitis in combination with rhinitis (ADR), we compared the serum total IgE, major basic protein (MBP) and eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) levels and identified the sensitized allergens in these two groups. The serum levels of total IgE, MBP and ECP were not significantly different in these two groups. Patients with ADR had a higher positive rate of aeroallergens including housedust, mite (D.F), mite (D.P) and cockroach than patients with AD. However, a high positive rate of seafood allergens (include crab, shellfish and shrimp) was observed in patients with AD. The serum IgE level correlated well with serum MBP level (r = 0.603, P = 0. 019) in patients with ADR. There was a strong correlation between serum MBP and ECP level (r = 0.773, P = 0.005) in patients with AD and in patients with ADR (r = 0.721, P = 0.008). We also found that numbers of sensitized allergens correlated well with total IgE in patients with AD (r = 0.760, P = 0.001) and in patients with ADR (r = 0.487, P = 0.004). These results suggested that the aeroallergens are the most important allergens causing and aggravating atopic diseases in Taiwan. Seafood may play an important role in the pathogenesis of AD. We suggest the measurement of serum total IgE combined with Multiple Allergens Simultaneous Test-Chemiluminescent Assays(AST-CLA) test could be helpful in the diagnosis of atopic diseases.

Adolescent↗