Effect of polydeoxyribonucleotides on human fibroblasts in primary culture

The effects of a mixture of oligo- and polydeoxyribonucleotides (PDRN) on t he growth and protein secretion of cultured human skin fibroblasts were inv estigated. Both intact and DNAase-digested PDRN stimulated cell proliferati on to a similar extent. When cultured fibroblasts were incubated with radio active amino acids in the presence of intact or digested PDRN the incorpora tion of the tracer into secreted proteins increased significantly. This sti mulation appears to be specific for certain protein components, including f ibronectin. These results are interpreted assuming that PDRN and the nucleo tides and nucleosides resulting from its degradation, can act as signal tra nsducers or, alternatively, can be internalized and utilized to provide pur ine and pyrimidine rings for the salvage pathways. Copyright (C) 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.