Palmar fibromatosis (
Dupuytren contracture) causes
fibrosis of specific palmar fascial bands. These bands are subjected to repetitive mechanical strain in situ. Primary cell cultures were derived from (a)
palmar fibromatosis from eight patients, (b) uninvolved palmar fascia (Skoog's fibers) from four of these patients, and (c) normal palmar fascia from four additional patients. The cells were plated onto
collagen-coated membranes either subjected to cyclic strain (25% maximal strain at 1 Hz) or without strain.
Bromodeoxyuridine incorporation showed an increase in proliferation in all cultures subjected to strain. This increase was highest for
palmar fibromatosis (10 to 40% nuclear incorporation, p = 0.02). Skoog's fibers and fascia from the normal individuals showed a trend (not significant) toward increase with strain (8 to 25%, p = 0.15 for Skoog's fibers, and 8 to 15%, p = 0.45 for normal fascia). Cyclic strain increased the expression of
platelet-derived growth factor-A relative to
glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase in
palmar fibromatosis (2.2 to 3.5, p = 0.05) and Skoog's fibers (0.8 to 2.0, p = 0.04). The expression of
platelet-derived growth factor-B relative to
glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase was enhanced by cyclic strain only in the
fibromatosis tissue (0.7 to 2.1, p = 0.04). The normal fascia did not express
platelet-derived growth factor.
Platelet-derived growth factor neutralizing antibody decreased
bromodeoxyuridine incorporation in
fibromatosis cultures subjected to cyclic strain to near levels for those grown in the absence of strain (38 to 16%, p = 0.05).
Conditioned medium from
fibromatosis cells grown under
stain showed a trend toward increased proliferation in additional
fibromatosis cultures compared with
conditioned medium from
fibromatosis cells grown without strain (9 to 15% nuclear incorporation, p = 0.20). The observed
palmar fibromatosis contracture can be partially explained on the basis of the cell's response to cyclic strain, which may be mediated by
platelet-derived growth factor.