Study on apoptosis of human dermal fibroblasts induced by sulfur mustard

Objective:To study the inducing effect of sulfur mustard on apoptosis of human dermal fibroblasts and explore its mechanism of treating psoriasis. Methods: The inhibitive effect of sulfur mustard on proliferation of human dermal fibroblasts was detected by MTT method. Its effect on apoptotic index of human dermal fibroblasts was examined by Annexin V-FITC method.The influence of sulfur mustard on the expression of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-related apoptosis-inducing ligand receptor 1 (TRAILR1) in human dermal fibroblasts was examined by immunohistochemical method.Results: Different concentrations of sulfur mustard had significant and dose-dependent inhibitive effect on the proliferation of human dermal fibroblasts (P0.01).The apoptotic index of human dermal fibroblasts increased as the concentration of sulfur mustard was elevated.The positive correlation between the concentration of sulfur mustard and expression of TRAILR1 protein in human dermal fibroblasts was observed.Conclusion: Sulfur mustard can inhibit the proliferation of human dermal fibroblasts and induce its apoptosis,which might be related to its enhancing effect on the expression of TRAILR1.This is a possible mechanism of sulfur mustard for treating psoriasis.