Inhibition of Human Keloid Fibroblast Growth by Isotretinoin and Triamcinolone Acetonide In Vitro

Abstract

In this study, we evaluated the effects of isotretinoin and triamcinolone acetonide on the growth of keloid and embryonal human skin fibroblasts in vitro. Culture bottles were plated with 2 x 10(5) cells and after 3 days of growth in Eagle's minimum essential medium, the medium was changed to one containing the drug being evaluated. Five groups were established: (1) regular medium as the control; (2) the medium containing 0.1% ethyl alcohol (the vehicle in which isotretinoin is dissolved); (3) the medium containing isotretinoin; (4) the medium containing triamcinolone acetonide; (5) the medium containing both drugs. Our study demonstrated that isotretinoin and triamcinolone acetonide each significantly inhibited the growth of the cells, and the effect of the combination was greater than that of either drug used alone.