INHIBITION OF PROLIFERATION OF PSORIATIC AND HEALTHY FIBROBLASTS IN CELL-CULTURE BY SELECTED DEAD-SEA SALTS

The effect of five selected minerals abundant in the Dead-sea brine wa s studied on proliferation of fibroblasts grown from psoriatic and hea lthy skin biopsy specimens in cell culture. The reason for carrying ou t this study was looking for the mechanism of the antiproliferative ef fect of selective Dead-sea minerals in improving the psoriatic conditi on. Psoriatic skin shave biopsy specimens (both from involved and unin volved areas of the body) as well as healthy skin (obtained from amput ated limbs) were incubated in tissue culture, and their outgrowing fib roblasts were used for this study. The number of cells and their cycli c AMP content were used as parameters for cell division and for provin g the selective involvement of magnesium salts in the antiproliferativ e effect. It is shown that the inhibitory effects of magnesium bromide and magnesium chloride on cell growth were significantly stronger tha n those of their corresponding potassium salts or of sodium chloride, These results were obtained with both psoriatic and healthy skin fibro blasts, indicating that the inhibitory effect of the selected Dead-sea minerals is present in healthy and psoriatic skin cells.