The long-term use of soap does not affect the pH-maintenance mechanism of human skin.

BACKGROUND: The pH at the surface of healthy human skin is around 5. Cleansing the skin with soap increases the pH of the skin, which then returns to a more acidic pH within a few hours. However, the effects of skin cleansing with soap over a long time on the pH regulatory system is still unclear. OBJECT: We compared the pH of the skin between users of a soap-based cleanser and of a mild-acidic cleanser prior to and following the cleansing. METHOD: This study had two groups of subjects, one group who had used a soap-based cleanser for more than 5 years and the other group who had used a mild-acidic cleanser for more than 5 years. The pH on the inner forearm of each subject was measured prior to and for 6 h after cleansing with a soap bar. RESULT: There were no differences between the pH of the skin these two groups prior to cleansing, immediately after cleansing or in the pH recovery rate for 6 h. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that long-term continuous use of a soap-based cleanser does not affect the pH-maintaining mechanism of human skin.

Effects of washing of the face with a mild facial cleanser formulated with sodium laureth carboxylate and alkyl carboxylates on acne in Japanese adult males.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Washing the face with a mild cleanser is generally recommended for acne care. Occasionally, the general public has the misconception that acne is exacerbated by cleansers and furthermore it has concerns about inducing skin irritation and xerosis by intensive washing. Recently, we developed a new cleanser based on sodium laureth carboxylate and alkyl carboxylates (AEC/soap) that cleans sebum well without penetrating the stratum corneum. METHODS: We designed a controlled clinical trial conducted on adult Japanese males with moderate or less acne. Twenty subjects washed their faces with AEC/soap base cleanser twice a day for 4 weeks. Assessment of the efficacy was conducted prior to the start of the study, and at the end of weeks 2 and 4. RESULTS: Significant improvement of the acne was observed within 2 weeks, and acne lesions were not detectable in 25% of the subjects at week 4. Sebum secretion levels on the skin significantly increased on the forehead, but significantly decreased on the cheek which correlated with the improvement. No complaints of dryness or irritation occurred during the study. CONCLUSION: Washing the face twice a day with facial cleanser based on AEC/soap is an effective care for moderate or less grade facial acne.

A new formula for a mild body cleanser: sodium laureth sulphate supplemented with sodium laureth carboxylate and lauryl glucoside.

OBJECTIVE: Sodium laureth sulphate (SLES) is an anionic detergent, which has been used globally for personal care products because of its mildness and good foaming ability. However, SLES is somewhat invasive and stimulatory to the skin, and many consumers with sensitive skin desire milder detergents for daily use skin cleansers. We enhanced the mildness of SLES by formulating it with sodium laureth carboxylate (AEC) and lauryl glucoside (LG). METHODS: In skin soak tests, 5% detergent solutions were applied to the forearms of 10 Japanese healthy volunteers for 30 min followed by washing with tap water once a day for 4 days. Twenty-four hours after the last treatment, cutaneous capacitance measurements and visual analyses were performed. In a controlled usage study, 16 Japanese healthy volunteers used the test body cleanser for 4 weeks. Assessment of efficacy and mildness was conducted prior to the start of the study and at the end of week 4 by cutaneous conductance, dermoscopic evaluation of the stratum corneum and visual assessment by a dermatologist. RESULTS: In soak tests, cutaneous capacitance was significantly decreased on the soap-treated region and on the SLES-treated region. No significant decrease was identified on the SLES/AEC/LG-treated region with less induction of erythema or dryness. In the controlled usage study, no significant changes in cutaneous conductance or texture or damage of corneocytes on the forearm and lower thigh were found. However, visual assessment revealed a significant decrease in scaling and erythema on the lower thigh after 4 weeks of usage with an improvement of the discomfort of the consumer. The favourability rating of this formulated detergent in several questionnaire items was very good. CONCLUSION: The newly formulated skin cleanser with the combination of anionic surfactants SLES and AEC and the non-ionic surfactant LG provides a mild surfactant with a satisfactory cleansing activity for body washing.

Morphologic transformation and chromosomal changes induced by chemical carcinogens in skin fibroblasts from patients with familial adenomatosis coli.

Skin fibroblasts from patients with familial adenomatosis coli (AC) and normal individuals were treated once with the carcinogen 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide or N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine and then passaged sequentially. Morphologically altered cells appeared in the cultures of carcinogen-treated AC fibroblasts at passages 6-8 (days 100-140) after treatment with the carcinogens, but carcinogen-treated normal cells and untreated AC and normal cells did not become altered even after cultivation for 25 passages. The cultures containing morphologically altered cells showed characteristics of transformed cells, such as a high frequency of colony formation in soft agarose, increased growth ability, and chromosomal abnormalities. The results suggest tha AC patients have increased susceptibility to morphologic transformation and chromosomal changes induced by chemical carcinogens.

Binding of bleomycin to DNA in bleomycin-sensitive and -resistant rat ascites hepatoma cells.

The 14C activity of [14C]bleomycin bound to DNA in bleomycin-sensitive rat ascites hepatoma cells (AH-66) was 8.7 times higher than in resistant cells (AH-66F) when the cells were incubated with [14C]bleomycin. The difference in permeability to bleomycin was not significant; uptake of [14C]bleomycin by the sensitive cells was only 1.2 times larger than that by the resistant cells, and the radioactivity incorporated into the nuclei of sensitive cells was only 1.3-fold greater. The bleomycin-inactivating enzyme level in the resistant cells was 3.5 times higher than in the sensitive cells, indicating that the antibiotic incorporated into the resistent cells was reduced in DNA-binding activity to a large extent. The level of protein-free thiol compound in the sensitive cells was 1.8-fold higher than in the resistant cells, suggesting a possible enhancement of bleomycin action by intracellular thiol compound as is found in vitro. These factors probably affect the DNA strand scission and the sensitivity of cells to this antibiotic. Binding of [14C]bleomycin to DNA in vitro was studied in the presence and the absence of dithiothreitol. A large portion of the radioactivity bound in the presence of dithiothreitol was unstable to acid, but the acid-resistant binding was also enhanced by this thiol compound.

Somatic mutations of the adenomatous polyposis coli gene in gastroduodenal tumors from patients with familial adenomatous polyposis.

We analyzed somatic mutations of the adenomatous polyposis coli (APC), p53, and K-ras genes in gastroduodenal polyps and normal gastroduodenal mucosa from 21 familial adenomatous polyposis patients, using PCR-single-strand conformation polymorphism and direct sequencing methods. Seventy-five polyps were obtained from these patients endoscopically or surgically, and they were histopathologically diagnosed as mild adenoma, moderate adenoma, severe adenoma, adenocarcinoma, and fundic gland polyp. Examining the APC-coding region where somatic mutations in colorectal tumors are known to be clustered, we detected 47 somatic mutations. The frequency of mutation detected was 6 of 9 (67%) in ampullary adenomas, 1 of 2 (50%) in ampullary adenocarcinoma, 11 of 24 (46%) in non-ampullary adenomas, 26 of 29 (90%) in gastric adenomas, and 3 of 11 (27%) in gastric fundic gland polyps. These mutations frequently occurred at codons 1450, 1462-1465, and 1554-1556, the third being a newly found hot spot. All mutations formed stop codons that resulted in truncated APC proteins. K-ras mutation was detected only in an ampullary adenocarcinoma, and p53 mutation was not detected in any of the tumors analyzed. There was no somatic mutation detected in samples of flat mucosa that were diagnosed as normal mucosa both endoscopically and histopathologically. Frequent APC mutations in mild and small adenomas, similar to the findings in severe and large adenomas, suggested that the genetic change in the APC gene occurs in an early stage of forming gastroduodenal adenomas. Moreover, the presence of somatic APC mutations in fundic gland polyps suggests that inactivation of the APC gene plays a role not only in forming adenomas but also in forming hyperplastic polyps in fundic gland mucosa, and there may be some additional steps to the adenoma-carcinoma sequence.

Loss of expression of the DCC gene during progression of colorectal carcinomas in familial adenomatous polyposis and non-familial adenomatous polyposis patients.

We have previously observed that the frequency of loss of heterozygosity (LOH) on chromosome 18q was low in adenomas and intramucosal carcinomas, whereas invasive carcinomas exhibited a high frequency in familial adenomatous polyposis patients (M. Miyaki et al., Cancer Res., 50: 7166-7173, 1990). In the present study, LOH at the DCC locus on chromosome 18q and the expression of DCC gene into mRNA were analyzed in colorectal tumors with distinct histopathological types. The carcinomas that showed 18q LOH also lost the DCC locus. The expression of DCC gene into mRNA was examined at the level of 233-base pair fragments of nucleotide 986-1218 in DCC complementary DNA. In a moderate-to-severe adenoma, 5 carcinoma-in-adenomas, and 4 intramucosal carcinomas, the level of expression was as high as in normal colorectal mucosa, whereas it was greatly reduced or not detectable in most (13 of 16) invasive carcinomas. Among these invasive carcinomas, 7 of 11 showed 18q LOH, but 4 showed no LOH. These results suggest that the DCC gene is included in the allelic deletion on chromosome 18q, and that the progression of colorectal carcinoma from early stage to advanced stage accompanies the inactivation of the DCC gene through LOH and other mechanisms.

Microsatellite instability in the progression of gastric carcinoma.

Seventy-six gastric carcinomas were analyzed with regard to whether or how microsatellite instability was associated with the development of the carcinoma. Microsatellite instability occurred as a late genetic alteration, with an incidence significantly higher in the advanced stage (17 of 51) than in the early stage (3 of 25; P < 0.05). Chromosomal losses on 5q and 17p, detected by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism, more frequently accompanied microsatellite instability (9 of 15 and 8 of 11, respectively), compared with carcinomas which lacked instability (5 of 28 and 9 of 30, respectively; P < 0.01 and P < 0.05, respectively). Epstein-Barr virus was observed in only 8 of 76 carcinomas, none of which was associated with microsatellite instability. No significant correlation was found between instability and the familial tendency to develop gastric carcinomas. Our results suggest that microsatellite instability might play a role in the progression of gastric carcinomas but not in Epstein-Barr virus-associated gastric carcinomas.

Frequent mutation of beta-catenin and APC genes in primary colorectal tumors from patients with hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer.

Hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) is characterized by defective DNA mismatch repair, which results in genetic instability of tumors; however, only a few target genes have been recognized. Our previous study detected a low frequency of APC gene mutation (21%) in colorectal tumors from HNPCC patients, in contrast to a high frequency of APC gene alteration (>70%) in non-HNPCC tumors. Because both beta-catenin and ACP gene mutations have recently been shown to activate the same signaling pathway, we analyzed beta-catenin mutation in HNPCC tumors. A notable frequency of beta-catenin gene mutation (43%, 12 of 28) was found to occur in HNPCC colorectal tumors. Beta-catenin mutations were not detected in tumors with APC mutations. All beta-catenin mutations detected in HNPCC tumors existed within the regulatory domain of beta-catenin. Immunohistochemical staining of tumors with this mutation showed accumulation of beta-catenin protein in nuclei. These and previous data from our laboratory suggest that activation of the beta-catenin-Tcf signaling pathway, through either beta-catenin or APC mutation, contributes to HNPCC colorectal carcinogenesis in approximately 65% of cases.

Characteristics of somatic mutation of the adenomatous polyposis coli gene in colorectal tumors.

Mutation of the adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) gene was analyzed in 500 colorectal tumors from 70 familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) and 102 non-FAP patients and in normal tissues from 119 FAP patients, using polymerase chain reaction-single-strand conformation polymorphism and direct sequencing methods. These tumors were histopathologically diagnosed. Sixty-eight germ line mutations (62% deletion, 9% insertion, and 29% single-base substitution) and 241 somatic mutations (56% deletion, 12% insertion, and 32% single-base substitution) were detected. All mutations formed stop codons resulting in truncated APC proteins, except for one germ line mutation. Differences were found between somatic and germ line mutations, including 3 new hot spots of mutation at codons 1378, 1450, and 1487-1490, which frequently occurred in somatic mutations but not in germ lines. The frequency of mutation in each histopathological type of FAP tumor was 53% in moderate adenoma, 64% in severe adenoma, 52% in intramucosal carcinoma, and 33% in invasive carcinoma, whereas the loss of heterozygosity including the APC gene increased with development to each histopathological type. A similar tendency was observed in non-FAP tumors. Additionally, we found 10 FAP tumors that had both somatic mutation and loss of heterozygosity. These tumors were assumed to have developed from moderate adenomas with germ line and somatic mutations, followed by deletion of the allele with germ line mutation. These results suggest that inactivation of the APC gene by two mutations is involved in the development of moderate adenoma, and loss of heterozygosity of the APC gene is associated with further development to carcinoma. It was also observed that the distribution of 75 somatic mutations from one FAP patient on the APC sequence was similar to the distribution of 159 somatic mutations from 83 patients with FAP and non-FAP, which suggests that the position of somatic mutation is mostly due to the APC sequence itself.

Frequent loss of heterozygosity for loci on chromosome 8p in hepatocellular carcinoma, colorectal cancer, and lung cancer.

Frequent loss of heterozygosity at chromosomal loci in a specific tumor type may indicate the presence of a tumor suppressor gene. We have examined loss of heterozygosity on chromosome 8p in paired tumor and constitutional DNA from 346 patients representing seven different types of human cancer. Frequent allelic losses were observed in hepatocellular carcinoma (22 of 46 cases, 47.8%), in colorectal cancer (12 of 26, 46.2%), and in non-small cell lung cancer (14 of 35, 40.0%), in contrast to low frequencies detected in breast cancer (5 of 56, 8.9%) and renal cell carcinoma (2 of 27, 7.4%). Ovarian cancer and gastric cancer showed intermediate frequencies of 33.3% and 22.2%. Subsequent analysis of 120 hepatocellular carcinomas and 94 colorectal cancers with five polymorphic markers along the short arm of chromosome 8 defined commonly deleted regions within the same chromosomal interval, 8p23. 1-8p21.3, suggesting that one or more tumor suppressor genes for both cancers may be present in that region.

Genetic changes and histopathological types in colorectal tumors from patients with familial adenomatous polyposis.

Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) and K-ras mutation were analyzed in 111 colorectal polyps and 26 invasive carcinomas from 40 patients with familial adenomatous polyposis of distinct histopathological types. LOH, being less than 2% in moderate adenomas, was detected on chromosome 5q (20%) in severe adenomas, on 5q (26%) and 17p (38%) in intramucosal carcinomas, and on 5q (52%), 17p (56%), 18 (46%), and 22q (33%) in invasive carcinomas. LOH on chromosome 5q occurred most frequently in the region close to the APC gene both in adenomas and carcinomas, and a loss of the normal allele of the APC gene was demonstrated in 3 cases. K-ras mutation markedly increased in the step of development from moderate (11%) to severe (36%) adenomas. These results suggest the following mechanisms for the development of colon tumors in patients with familial adenomatous polyposis: (a) the heterozygous mutant/wild-type condition at the APC gene causes formation of mild or moderate adenoma; (b) the loss of the normal allele in the APC gene leads to a change from moderate to severe adenoma; (c) LOH on chromosome 17p contributes to the conversion of adenoma to intramucosal carcinoma; (d) LOH on other chromosomes, such as 18 and 22q, are involved in the progression of intramucosal carcinoma to invasive carcinoma; and (e) K-ras mutation may also affect the development of moderate to severe adenoma.

Loss of constitutional heterozygosity in colorectal tumors from patients with familial polyposis coli and those with nonpolyposis colorectal carcinoma.

Familial polyposis coli (FPC) is an autosomal dominant tumorigenic disorder, the major gene of which is mapped to chromosome 5q. We searched for a gene loss in colorectal tumors from FPC patients, as related to tumorigenesis by inactivation of tumor suppression genes, using restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. The findings were compared with those in the case of nonpolyposis colorectal carcinomas (NPCC). We examined specimens from 39 FPC patients, including 21 adenocarcinomas and 49 adenomas, and 23 colorectal carcinomas from 22 NPCC patients. For this, we used 53 polymorphic DNA markers on all autosomes. Frequent loss of heterozygosity in colorectal carcinoma from FPC patients was observed on chromosomes 5 (24%), 14 (20%), 17 (31%), 18 (40%), and 22 (35%) and also on chromosomes 5 (32%), 14 (30%), 17 (27%), 18 (20%), and 22 (19%) in NPCC. Although loss of heterozygosity in adenoma from FPC patients was observed on nine chromosomes, the frequencies were less than 7%. As we fractionated tumors only macroscopically, actual frequencies of loss of heterozygosity are probably somewhat higher. However, these results do suggest that tumor suppression genes for colorectal carcinoma may locate on chromosomes 5, 14, 17, 18, and 22 and that they may play a critical role in carcinogenesis in both FPC and NPCC patients.

Coexistence of somatic and germ-line mutations of APC gene in desmoid tumors from patients with familial adenomatous polyposis.

Desmoid tumors, which are locally invasive with recurrence but without metastasis, are frequently observed in patients with familial adenomatous polyposis after abdominal surgery or during pregnancy. This study analyzed mutation of the adenomatous polyposis coli gene in 8 desmoid tumors from 7 familial adenomatous polyposis patients using polymerase chain reaction-single-strand conformation polymorphism and the direct sequencing method. Seven somatic mutations, 1 somatic allele loss, and 6 germ-line mutations were detected. The majority of adenomatous polyposis coli gene mutations were deletions of 1 to 19 base pairs in exon 15, and all mutations led to the formation of stop codons. A somatic mutation with repetition of 82 base pairs from codon 1399 to 1426 was also observed in a desmoid, which was most likely caused by an error during replication or repair replication. No mutation was detected in exons 1 to 2 of H-ras, K-ras, and N-ras genes and in exons 5 to 8 of p53 gene, in these tumors. The simultaneous existence of somatic and germ-line alterations of adenomatous polyposis coli gene observed in all 8 tumors strongly suggests that inactivation of both alleles of adenomatous polyposis coli gene is involved in the development of desmoid tumors.

Somatic mutations of LKB1 and beta-catenin genes in gastrointestinal polyps from patients with Peutz-Jeghers syndrome.

Peutz-Jeghers syndrome (PJS) is characterized by multiple gastrointestinal hamartomatous polyps, mucocutaneous melanin deposition, and increased risk of cancer, mainly in the gastrointestinal tract. We examined mutations of the LKB1, beta-catenin, APC, K-ras, and p53 genes in 27 gastrointestinal hamartomatous polyps from 10 patients in nine PJS families. Of these hamartomatous polyps, one intestinal polyp had an adenomatous lesion, and one gastric polyp contained adenomatous and carcinomatous lesions. Germ-line mutations of the LKB1 gene were detected in six PJS families. Somatic mutations of the LKB1 gene were found in 5 polyps, whereas loss of heterozygosity (LOH) at the LKB1 locus at 19p was seen in 14 other polyps. In adenomatous lesions microdissected from hamartomatous polyps, both beta-catenin mutation and 19p LOH were detected. Furthermore, a carcinomatous lesion in a gastric hamartomatous polyp was found to contain a mutation of the p53 gene and LOH at the p53 locus in addition to LOH at the LKB1 locus and a beta-catenin mutation. K-ras mutations were detected in a few polyps, whereas no APC mutation or 5q LOH was detected in hamartomatous polyps. These results suggest that gastrointestinal hamartomatous polyps in PJS patients develop through inactivation of the LKB1 gene by germ-line mutation plus somatic mutation or LOH of the unaffected LKB1 allele, and that additional mutations of the beta-catenin gene and p53 gene convert hamartomatous polyps into adenomatous and carcinomatous lesions.

Suppression of tumourigenicity in human colon carcinoma cells by introduction of normal chromosome 1p36 region.

Development of colon carcinomas appears to be associated with inactivation of multiple tumour suppressor genes. Cytogenetic and DNA analyses of colon carcinomas have detected a high frequency of chromosome 1p deletion, which suggests the presence of a tumour suppressor gene. We therefore introduced normal human chromosome 1 into colon carcinoma COKFu cells, through microcell hybridization. Six clones of hybrid cells containing normal chromosome 1 were obtained, four of which had a small fragment of the introduced chromosome 1, including 1p36-34. The morphology of hybrid cells with chromosome 1 markedly altered to a flat shape. The cloning efficiency of all six hybrid cells in soft agar was significantly reduced, and the tumourigenicity in athymic nude mice was completely suppressed. Hybrid cells containing only the region of 1p36-34, as well as those containing intact chromosome 1, showed suppressed transformed phenotype. Furthermore, several tumourigenic revertant cells were obtained from the hybrid cells. These revertant cells had a morphology similar to that of COKFu cells, and were found to have lost the 1p36 region from the introduced chromosome 1. These results indicate that a normal chromosome 1p36 carries a tumour suppressor gene for colon carcinogenesis.

Malignant transformation of rat embryo fibroblasts by cotransfection with eleven human mutant p53 cDNAs and activated H-ras gene.

Eleven different missense and one nonsense mutant-type p53 cDNAs, which have been frequently detected in human colorectal carcinomas, were constructed and examined for their ability to cooperate with activated human H-ras genes, pSK2 and pHs49, in transfection of rat embryo fibroblasts (REF). Each missense mutant-type p53 cDNA with either of the two activated H-ras genes transformed REF with a different frequency of transformation depending on the different kind of mutation, whereas wild-type p53 (with ras), nonsense mutant-type p53 (with ras), as well as mutant-type p53 (alone) and ras (alone), did not transform REF. Six transformed REF cell lines were established from cotransfection with missense mutant-type p53 cDNA and ras gene; all of them exhibiting exogenous human p53 DNA, RNA, protein, and H-ras DNA and RNA. All six transformed cell lines showed both tumorigenicity and lung metastatic potential in nude mice. They also exhibited 92 kilodalton gelatinase activity, which was not detected in parental REF. These results suggest that missense mutations in p53 gene have a role in malignant transformation as well as metastatic potential.

Increased cell-substratum adhesion, and decreased gelatinase secretion and cell growth, induced by E-cadherin transfection of human colon carcinoma cells.

Metastasis of colon carcinomas is assumed to be caused by multiple steps, which include a loss of cell adhesion that results in the release of carcinoma cells from the original tumor tissue. A human colon carcinoma cell line COKFu was established from a poorly differentiated metastatic adenocarcinoma without cell-cell adhesion and without expression of E-cadherin mRNA and protein. This cell line was co-transfected with mouse E-cadherin cDNA in an expression vector and a neomycin-resistant gene. The parental carcinoma cells had a spindle shape and were scattered, whereas the transfected cells, which expressed exogenous E-cadherin gene, showed a more compact shape with strong cell-cell adhesion and with increased adhesiveness to collagen gel. These cells showed a significantly low anchorage independency (2-7%) and decreased invasiveness (30%) compared to the parental cells. Growth rate of transfectants was decreased both in vitro and in the subcutis of nude mice, with decreased lymphnode metastasis in the case of intravenous injection. It was additionally found that activity of 62 kd gelatinase, secreted from parental cells, was lost or decreased in E-cadherin-transfected cells. These results suggest that E-cadherin is not only involved in the cell-cell adhesion of colon carcinomas, it also has a wider effect, including cell-substratum adhesion and the regulation of proteinase secretion from the cells, resulting in partial suppression of invasiveness and tumorigenic growth.