SPECIFIC-INHIBITION OF PROLIFERATION OF NONMALIGNANT RAT HEPATIC CELLS BY A FACTOR FROM RAT-LIVER

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  • 1 January 1980
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 40  (4) , 1249-1254
Abstract
A simple quantitative assay based on the colony-forming ability of cells was used to investigate the effect of partially purified factors isolated from rat liver on the proliferation of nonmalignant and malignant rat liver epithelial cells in culture. This assay differentiates between the cytostatic and cytotoxic actions of the test materials. The liver factors exerted a dose-dependent cytostatic inhibition of nonmalignant liver cells but had no inhibitory effect on malignant liver cells. However, the crude fractions showed a significant activation of the proliferation of one of the malignant cell lines tested. The inhibitory effect of this material was not due to arginase, thymidine or thymidine-degrading enzymes. The respective inhibitory and activating effects exerted by very low concentration of the liver fractions could not be resolved by the separation methods used. Even though the material may contain a mixture of activators and inhibitors, the differential effect on the proliferative capacity of nonmalignant and malignant cells is probably due to the altered state of the malignant cells.