Redox status is critical for stemness in skin equivalents

Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2012:2012:819623. doi: 10.1155/2012/819623. Epub 2012 Aug 29.

Abstract

The skin is constantly exposed to environmental oxidative stress. Skin equivalent (SE) models are three-dimensional systems in which cell-cell or cell-matrix interactions can be investigated. In this study, the effects of vitamin C or plant extracts with high antioxidant activities were tested. There was no significant difference in the epidermal thickness, but the basal cells became cuboidal when vitamin C or plant extracts were supplemented. Furthermore, immunohistochemical staining showed linear and intense staining of α6 and β1 integrin along the basement membrane in vitamin C or plant extract treated models. The p63 and PCNA were also stained. Results showed that the number of p63 and PCNA positive cells was higher in the vitamin C or plant extract treated models than in the control SEs. Although the relationship between oxidative stress and stem cells is not known, our results suggest that redox status affects the stemness and the proliferative potential of epidermal basal cells by modulating microenvironment to epidermal basal stem cells.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Antioxidants / metabolism*
  • Ascorbic Acid / pharmacology
  • Cell Culture Techniques
  • Cell Proliferation / drug effects
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Fibroblasts / cytology
  • Fibroblasts / drug effects
  • Fibroblasts / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Integrin alpha6 / metabolism
  • Integrin beta1 / metabolism
  • Keratinocytes / cytology
  • Keratinocytes / drug effects
  • Keratinocytes / metabolism
  • Oxidation-Reduction
  • Plant Extracts / pharmacology
  • Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen / metabolism
  • Skin / metabolism*
  • Skin / pathology
  • Transcription Factors / metabolism
  • Tumor Suppressor Proteins / metabolism

Substances

  • Antioxidants
  • Integrin alpha6
  • Integrin beta1
  • Plant Extracts
  • Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen
  • TP63 protein, human
  • Transcription Factors
  • Tumor Suppressor Proteins
  • Ascorbic Acid