Transplantation of Cultured Autologous Melanocytes: Hope or Danger?

Autor: Rafal Czajkowski, Marta Pokrywczynska M.Sc., Waldemar Placek, Barbara Zegarska, Tadeusz Tadrowski, Tomasz Drewa
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2010
Předmět:
Zdroj: Cell Transplantation, Vol 19 (2010)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 0963-6897
1555-3892
DOI: 10.3727/096368910X491798
Popis: Cultured human melanocytes are increasingly being used in the treatment of vitiligo. The growth media contain various types of mitogenic factors, both recombinant human (e.g., rhbFGF and rhSCF) and synthetic (e.g., TPA). High concentrations of mitogenic factors accelerate the cell cycle, and consequently may increase the risk of carcinogenesis of transplanted cells. Mutations of genes of the RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK signaling pathway are very often found in the early stages of the development of melanoma. TPA is considered to be an oncogenic factor, but so far there is no evidence to show that it is responsible for damage to the genetic material of cultured melanocytes. The aim of our study was to assess the risk of the development of mutations in selected genes of the RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK signaling pathway during the culturing of melanocytes in various growth media. Based on the results obtained, it can be concluded that TPA and high concentrations of other growth factors intensify the proliferation of melanocytes, without the risk of damage to the HRAS (exon 1 and 2), KRAS (exon 1 and 2), NRAS (exon 1 and 2), and BRAF (exon 11 and 15) genes. In order to assess the total safety of the transplantation of cultured melanocytes, it is necessary to carry out further studies on other signaling pathways as well as carry out biological tests on an animal model.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals