Figure 4.

Effect of PGE₂ on fibroblasts. A: The % inhibition of the number of fibroblasts from a healthy donor and a PDP patient by the addition of PGE₂ was evaluated as (Number of fibroblasts without PGE₂ − Number of fibroblasts with PGE₂)/Number of fibroblasts without PGE₂ × 100. The growth inhibitory effect of PGE₂ is dose-dependent and comparable between these two groups. The values are expressed as the mean ± SD (n = 3) and are representative of two independent experiments. B, C: The effects of PGE₂ on β-catenin expression and DKK1 mRNA levels in fibroblasts were evaluated. The mean fluorescent intensity (MFI) of β-catenin (B) and DKK1 mRNA (C) in fibroblasts after exposure to PGE₂ is shown. The amount of DKK1 mRNA relative to GAPDH mRNA without the addition of PGE₂ is regarded as one. The values are expressed as the mean ± SD (n = 3) and *P < 0.05. D: Cytoplasm- (right panel) and nuclear- (left panel) protein samples from fibroblasts treated with or without 0, 100, and 1000 nmol/L PGE₂ for 4 days were used to determine the effect of PGE₂ on β-catenin expression. The values are expressed as the mean ± SD (n = 3 to 4) and *P < 0.05.