Biomaterial Database

Epidermal cytokines and their roles in cutaneous wound healing. 1991

I A McKay, and I M Leigh

Department of Experimental Dermatology, London Hospital Medical College, UK.

Cytokines are small proteins or glycoproteins which are synthesized and secreted by a variety of cell types. Through binding to specific receptors on target cells, these hormone-like products regulate many normal cell activities, including growth and differentiation, migration and immune functions. Within the epidermis, keratinocytes are the major source of cytokines along with melanocytes and Langerhans cells. In response to a variety of injurious stimuli, including ultraviolet irradiation and cutaneous wounding, epidermal keratinocytes may release a number of these regulatory molecules which can then interact directly with receptors on inflammatory cells. Epidermal cytokines can therefore play an important role in the wound-healing process by recruiting polymorphs and monocytes and in encouraging deposition of extracellular matrix proteins by fibroblasts. Keratinocytes can themselves respond to keratinocyte-derived cytokines by dividing and migrating over the wound surface before differentiating into a new stratified epidermis. This review presents the evidence of the production of cytokines by human keratinocytes and their role in the healing of skin wounds.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D004195	Disease Models, Animal	Naturally-occurring or experimentally-induced animal diseases with pathological processes analogous to human diseases.	Animal Disease Model,Animal Disease Models,Disease Model, Animal
D004817	Epidermis	The external, nonvascular layer of the skin. It is made up, from within outward, of five layers of EPITHELIUM: (1) basal layer (stratum basale epidermidis); (2) spinous layer (stratum spinosum epidermidis); (3) granular layer (stratum granulosum epidermidis); (4) clear layer (stratum lucidum epidermidis); and (5) horny layer (stratum corneum epidermidis).
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D012867	Skin	The outer covering of the body that protects it from the environment. It is composed of the DERMIS and the EPIDERMIS.
D013552	Swine	Any of various animals that constitute the family Suidae and comprise stout-bodied, short-legged omnivorous mammals with thick skin, usually covered with coarse bristles, a rather long mobile snout, and small tail. Included are the genera Babyrousa, Phacochoerus (wart hogs), and Sus, the latter containing the domestic pig (see SUS SCROFA).	Phacochoerus,Pigs,Suidae,Warthogs,Wart Hogs,Hog, Wart,Hogs, Wart,Wart Hog
D014945	Wound Healing	Restoration of integrity to traumatized tissue.	Healing, Wound,Healings, Wound,Wound Healings
D015603	Keratinocytes	Epidermal cells which synthesize keratin and undergo characteristic changes as they move upward from the basal layers of the epidermis to the cornified (horny) layer of the skin. Successive stages of differentiation of the keratinocytes forming the epidermal layers are basal cell, spinous or prickle cell, and the granular cell.	Keratinocyte
D016207	Cytokines	Non-antibody proteins secreted by inflammatory leukocytes and some non-leukocytic cells, that act as intercellular mediators. They differ from classical hormones in that they are produced by a number of tissue or cell types rather than by specialized glands. They generally act locally in a paracrine or autocrine rather than endocrine manner.	Cytokine
D051379	Mice	The common name for the genus Mus.	Mice, House,Mus,Mus musculus,Mice, Laboratory,Mouse,Mouse, House,Mouse, Laboratory,Mouse, Swiss,Mus domesticus,Mus musculus domesticus,Swiss Mice,House Mice,House Mouse,Laboratory Mice,Laboratory Mouse,Mice, Swiss,Swiss Mouse,domesticus, Mus musculus