HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Figures Only Full Text Full Text (PDF) Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by McKeown, S.T.W. Articles by Irwin, C.R. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by McKeown, S.T.W. Articles by Irwin, C.R.

Matrix Metalloproteinase-3 Differences in Oral and Skin Fibroblasts

S.T.W. McKeown^1,, J.J. Barnes^1,, P.L. Hyland², F.T. Lundy¹, M.J. Fray³, and C.R. Irwin^1,*

¹ Oral Science Research Centre, School of Dentistry, Queen’s University Belfast, Northern Ireland;
² Centre for Cancer Research and Cell Biology, Queen’s University, Belfast; and
³ Department of Discovery Chemistry, Pfizer Global Research and Development, Sandwich, Kent, England

^* corresponding author, Department of Restorative Dentistry (Periodontology), Queen’s University School of Dentistry, Royal Victoria Hospital, Grosvenor Road, Belfast, BT12 6BP, Northern Ireland; c.r.irwin{at}qub.ac.uk

While skin wounds heal by scarring, wounds of oral mucosa show privileged healing with minimal scar formation. Our hypothesis was that phenotypic differences between oral and skin fibroblasts underlie these differences in healing. The aims of this study were to compare MMP-3 expression by oral and skin fibroblasts and investigate a role for MMP-3 in mediating collagen gel contraction. Oral fibroblasts induced significantly greater gel contraction than did paired skin cells. Inhibition of MMP activity significantly inhibited gel contraction by both cell types. Specific inhibition of MMP-3 activity reduced gel contraction by oral, but not skin, fibroblasts. Oral fibroblasts produced significantly higher levels of MMP-3 than did skin fibroblasts at all levels studied. TGF-ß1 and -ß3 isoforms stimulated MMP-3 expression at mRNA, protein, and activity levels by both fibroblast populations. Results suggest that increased MMP-3 production by oral fibroblasts may underlie the differences in wound-healing outcome seen in skin and oral mucosa.

KEY WORDS: wound healing • fibroblasts • MMP-3 • TGF-ß • wound contraction