Elevated vimentin expression in buccal mucosal fibroblasts by arecoline in vitro as a possible pathogenesis for oral submucous fibrosis

Areca quid chewing is strongly correlated with oral submucous fibrosis (OSF) in Taiwan. The cytotoxicity of arecoline, a major areca nut alkaloid, on human oral fibroblasts has been extensively studied. To date, however, there has been little research exploring the possible effects of arecoline on cytoskeleton components. In this study, in addition to conducting a cytotoxicity assay, we examine the effect of arecoline on vimentin, an intermediate filament, and its expression in human buccal mucosal fibroblasts on exposure to various levels of arecoline (0-200 microg/ml) for 48 h. At a concentration above 50 microg/ml, arecoline demonstrated dose-dependent cytotoxicity (P