Growth responses of rat stomach cancer cells to gastro‐entero‐pancreatic hormones

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Abstract
Various hormones and peptides were added to rat stomach cancer cells growing in vitro in a serum‐free medium and the cell number was determined by a spectro‐photometric method. Five gastro‐entero‐pancreatic hormones or related peptides (tetragastrin, glucagon, secretin, cholecystokinin‐pancreozymin and cerulein) significantly increased the number of stomach cancer cells from 150% to 310% of the number of control cells cultivated in a serum‐free, hormone‐free medium. On the other hand, insulin and vasoactive intestinal peptide, and other hormones (thyroxin, epinephrine, hydrocortisone, β‐estradiol, progesterone, testosterone), peptone broth and bovine serum albumin had no significant growth effect. All the active substances belong to the two major families of gastro‐entero‐pancreatic polypeptide hormones, suggesting the existence of hormone receptors at the surface of stomach cancer cells.