Production of fibronectin by HUH6 C15 cell line established from a human hepatoblastoma

Fibronectin was detected by indirect immunofluorescence on the cell surfaces of HUH6 C15 cells, established from a human hepatoblastoma and maintained with serum-free RPMI 1640 medium. Fibronectin synthesized by HUH6 Cl5 was purified by gelatin-Sepharose affinity chromatography and compared with human plasma fibronectin in respect to molecular weight, electrophoretic mobility and antigenicity. Fibronectin synthesized by this cell line was proved to be identical with human plasma fibronectin.

Effect of 3'-methyl-N,N-dimethyl-4-aminoazobenzene in the presence or absence of liver microsomes on the liver cells having low tumor-producing capacity in culture

A cell strain having low tumor-producing capacity was exposed in culture to 3'-methyl-N,N-dimethyl-4-aminoazobenzene (3'-Me-DAB) in the presence or absence of liver microsomes, and whether or not the cells will progress to those having high tumor-producing capacity was examined. When transplanted into rats, the cells treated with 3'-Me-DAB four (Exp-I) or thirteen times (Exp-II) formed larger tumors than untreated control cells, the latter treatment being more efficient in this regard. Furthermore, the tumors formed by the cells treated with 3'-Me-DAB in the presence of liver microsomes were considerably larger than those formed by the cells treated with 3'-Me-DAB alone. The subcutaneous tumors produced by the cells treated with 3'-Me-DAB with S-15 Mix showed poorly differentiated histology compared with those produced by control and 3'-Me-DAB-treated cells. The frequency of lung metastasis tended to increase by 3'-Me-DAB with S-15 Mix. The cells treated with 3'-Me-DAB in the presence or absence of liver microsomes differed from untreated control cells in vitro in some properties, including the size of aggregates in rotation culture, plating efficiency in liquid medium and morphology. These observations suggest that cell malignancy was promoted by 3'-Me-DAB alone as well as by 3'-Me-DAB in the presence of liver microsomes.

Bile acid synthesis by long-term cultured cell line established from human hepatoblastoma

Bile acids in the spent medium for the cell culture were analyzed by gas-liquid chromatography and gas-liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry to determine whether human hepatoblastoma cell line could synthesize bile acids. Cholic, chenodeoxycholic, and lithocolic acids were found in the culture medium, and a portion of chenodeoxycholic acid and all of lithocholic acid were sulfated. Since the cells had been cultured in serum-free medium, it is clear that the bile acids were newly synthesized and sulfated by the cultured cells. Chenodeoxycholic acid was the main bile acid in the medium, suggesting that the cell line might predominantly synthesize chenodeoxycholic acid. On the other hand, the cells had fetal or hepatoma characters such as marked alpha-fetoprotein production. These results suggest that fetal or hepatoma type bile acid metabolism might occur in the cell line, and that the established cell line could be an useful in vitro model for the study of bile acid metabolism in hepatoma.

Selective growth of epithelial-like clear cells from adult rat liver by short-term exposure to glucocorticoids in primary culture

Isolated liver cells, which were prepared from adult rats by a trypsin-liver-perfusion technique, were treated with dexamethasone or hydrocortisone at a concentration of 7.7 X 10(-6) M for 8 days in primary culture. The treated cultures displayed homogeneous population consisting of epithelial-like clear cells, while the untreated cultures displayed mixed population consisting of epithelial-like clear cells and fibroblast-like cells. The epithelial-like clear cells, which proliferated in the cultures treated with glucocorticoids for 8 days in primary culture, did not show any morphological changes following cultivation in glucocorticoid-free medium. After continuous glucocorticoid-treatment for more than 1 month, the treated cultures showed relatively low cell densities at confluence. The surface area of individual epithelial-like clear cells in the cultures treated with glucocorticoids for long periods of time was evidently greater than that in the cultures treated for only 8 days. The epithelial-like clear cells had glucose 6-phosphatase and tyrosine aminotransferase activities even though the levels of these enzyme-activities were very low compared with those in rat liver homogenates.

Growth of human hepatoma cells lines with differentiated functions in chemically defined medium

A human hepatoma cell line, HuH-7, which was established from a hepatocellular carcinoma, was found to replicate continuously in a chemically defined medium when the medium was supplemented with Na2SeO3. The cells grew better in this medium than in serum-containing medium without any adaptation period. Other established human hepatoma and hepatoblastoma cell lines, HuH-6 cl-5, PLC/PRF/5, huH-1, and huH-4, also grew in the defined medium. Although HLEC-1 cells failed to proliferate continuously with Na2SeO3 alone, they grew if a cell-free conditioned medium from HuH-7 cells was added to the medium. These cell lines, except the HLEC-1 cell line, produced the following human plasma proteins among those examined: albumin, prealbumin, alpha 1-antitrypsin, ceruloplasmin, fibrinogen, fibronectin, haptoglobin, hemopexin, beta-lipoprotein, alpha 2-macroglobulin, beta 2-microglobulin, transferrin, lipoprotein, alpha 2-macroglobulin, beta 2-microglobulin, transferrin, Complement Components 3 and 4, and alpha 1-fetoprotein. Beside plasma proteins, the media from HuH-7, HuH-6 cl-5, PLC/PRF/5, and huH-1 contained anti-carcinoembryonic antigen-reactive proteins, and those from PLC/PRF/5, huH-1, and huH-4 medium contained hepatitis B surface antigen. These proteins were detected during periods of serial cultivation over 9 months under the above culture conditions. The hepatoma cell lines grown in the fully defined synthetic medium may provide a new approach for investigating the growth and metabolism of human hepatoma cells in vitro.

Perturbation of phospholipid metabolism by erucic acid in male Sprague-Dawley rat heart

Erucic acid was incorporated into cardiac phosphatidylserine and hepatic and cardiac sphingomyelin of male Sprague-Dawley rat. The fatty acid compositions of mitochondrial and microsomal phospholipids were similar in both liver and heart. The effect of a low fat diet and a diet containing erucic acid on the fatty acid composition of mitochondrial and microsomal phospholipids was also similar, except for the effect on sphingomyelin. However, the diet containing erucic acid influenced the metabolism of phosphatidylcholine of the heart but not of the liver, indicating that the turnover of 1-stearoyl-2-arachidonoyl phosphatidylcholine in the heart was inhibited by the diet containing erucic acid. On the other hand, the proportion of erucic acid in the free fatty acid was higher in the heart than in the liver.

Effect of 3'-methyl-4-dimethylaminoazobenzene in the induction of malignant transformation and of 8-azaguanine-resistant mutations and chromosomal aberrations in a diploid clone derived from normal rat liver cells in culture

The effect of 3' methyl-4-dimethylaminoazobenzene (3'-Me-DAB) in the induction of malignant transformation and of 8-azaguanine-resistant mutations and chromosomal aberrations was studied in a diploid strain derived from normal rat liver cells. The cells were malignantly transformed by treatment with 3'-Me-DAB 1.7 micrograms/ml for 130 to 221 d or 1.7 micrograms/ml for 53 d followed by 24.9 micrograms/ml for 27 to 77 d. The untreated control cells did not transform spontaneously until the 232nd d in culture. Some properties of the 3'-Me-DAB-treated cells were compared to those of untreated control cells but no reliable marker for predicting the tumorigenic potential of the cells was found. The single addition of 3'-Me-DAB caused little induction of 8-azaguanine-resistant mutations and chromosomal aberrations to the cells. However, mutations and chromosomal aberrations were significantly induced by N-acetoxy-4-methylaminoazobenzene, an active metabolite of 4-dimethylaminoazobenzene or 3'-Me-DAB in the presence of liver microsomes.

Chromosome 8-14 translocation in a non-African Burkitt's lymphoma with leukemic conversion

A specific chromosome translocation, t(8q-; 14q+), was observed in a 43-year-old female with non-African Burkitt's lymphoma in which leukemic conversion had occurred. The chromosome studies used cells from ascites. The ascites was apparently the result of a primary tumor involving the ovaries and contained 68% of lymphoma cells. The frequent occurrence of abnormalities related to chromosomes 1, 8 and 14 in African and non-African Burkitt's lymphomas was emphasized.

Effects of steroid sex hormones and adriamycin on human bladder cancer cells in culture

The effects of steroid sex hormones on the established cell lines derived from human urinary bladder cancer, T24, and from human transitional cell cancer of the urinary tract, 253J, were examined using the colony formation method. Of the seven kinds of steroid hormones tested, estradiol-17 beta was intensively cytotoxic for both cells. The cytotoxic effect was depended on the dose and time of treatment. The combined effect of Adriamycin and estradiol-17 beta on T24 cells could be recognized at low concentrations of Adriamycin (less than or equal to 10(-3) micrograms/ml) after exposure for 24 h.

Effect of 3'-methyl-4-dimethylaminoazobenzene on liver cells from adult rat in primary culture

Primary mass cultures of isolated liver cells, which prepared from normal adult rat by a collagenase-liver-perfusion technique, were treated with 3'-methyl-4-dimethylaminoazobenzene (3'-Me-DAB) to study the production of transformed liver cells. Enzymatically isolated liver cells had high sensitivity to 3'-Me-DAB in primary culture. By 2- or 6-day treatment, mature hepatocytes remarkably decreased in their numbers due to cytotoxic effect of 3-Me-DAB, but thereafter active proliferation of epithelial-like clear cells was observed. Six-day treatment induced epithelial-like clear cells with gross chromosomal abnormalities, although 2-day treatment failed to induce transformed cells. However, the transformed epithelial-like clear cells with chromosomal abnormalities were negative for gamma-glutamyl-transpeptidase (GGT).

Influence of methionine administration on serum alpha-fetoprotein levels in ethionine-injured rats

Serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) concentrations increased promptly 2 days following a single injection of DL-ethionine (ethionine) in adult female rats. Continuous elevation of serum AFP was also observed on feeding a diet containing 1% ethionine for at least 2-3 weeks. A rise of serum AFP was not found if the diet was supplemented with 2.8% methionine. Furthermore, in rats fed on 1% ethionine for 2 weeks, dietary change to the laboratory chow supplemented with and without 2.8% methionine produced a decrease of increased serum AFP levels.

Effect of acetazolamide on the anticonvulsant potency of phenobarbital in mice

Effect of acetazolamide (AZA) on the anticonvulsant potency of phenobarbital (PHB) was investigated in mice by maximal electroshock seizure (MES) test. By coadministration with AZA, a remarkable increase an prolongation of the anticonvulsant activity of PHB was brought about. The type of the synergism of PHB with AZA was not additive but of potentiation. The potentiation of the anticonvulsant activity of PHB with AZA was rather related to inhibition of carbonic anhydrase (CA) in brain than in blood. The anticonvulsant activity of PHB was also increased by coadministration with methazolamide which had a great ability to inhibit brain CA. Furosemide, which had no inhibitory effect on brain CA, on the other hand, failed to show any potentiation on the anticonvulsant activity of PHB. Thus it was inferred that the inhibition of brain CA may play a significant role for the potentiation of the anticonvulsant activity of PHB. Although reserpinization completely abolished the protective effect of AZA on MES, the potentiation of the anticonvulsant activity of PHB was still observed by AZA. These results suggest that pharmacodynamic and/or pharmacokinetic effect of AZA independent of its anticonvulsant action may contribute to the potentiation of the PHB action.

Gas-containing brain abscess due to Fusobacterium nucleatum

Gas-containing brain abscesses are rarely seen. Recently, in a 28-year-old man, such an abscess ruptured into the lateral ventricle but was treated successfully. Fusobacterium nucleatum, an anaerobic bacillus, was cultured from the pus obtained.

Xylitol mediated amelioration of acetylphenylhydrazine-induced hemolysis in rabbits

Xylitol was investigated for its ability to ameliorate hemolytic anemia induced by acetylphenylhydrazine in rabbits. Animal experiments were performed using two different concentrations of xylitol, a 5% and a 10% solution with a total dose of 2 g/kg body weight and infusion rates of 10 mg and 20 mg xylitol per kg body weight per minute respectively. Two doses of acetylphenylhydrazine (APH), 5 and 10 mg per kg, were injected intraperitoneally as hemolytic inducers in different groups of rabbits. All the rabbits infused with xylitol showed significantly less acute APH-induced hemolysis. The isotonic 5% xylitol solution was found to maintain and restore the hematological parameters (packed cell volume, hemoglobin concentration, reduced glutathione (GSH) content, and reticulocyte counts) better than the 10% xylitol solution. Increased 51CR-red cell survival confirmed the beneficial effect of xylitol. The survival of erythrocytes as represented by chromium-labeling in rabbits infused with 5% xylitol after treatment with 10 mg/kg APH increased from about 33% (the survival of red cells in rabbits injected with APH alone) to 67% of normal rabbits' red cell survival. Erythrocytes in APH-treated animals took up xylitol more readily than erythrocytes from control animals. Our results in rabbits suggest that (1) non-toxic dosage of xylitol is effective in ameliorating the hemolytic episode induced by APH, (2) there is a dose relationship between the hemolytic effect induced by APH and the preventive effect offered by xylitol, (3) drug-challenged cells effectively acquired two to three fold more xylitol to compensate for the cellular needs than that of the normal cells, and (4) sufficient xylitol (55 mg/dl) to act as substrate for xylitol dehydrogenase was recovered intracellularly in drug-challenged rabbit erythrocyte in vivo, in spite of a low plasma (less than 30 mg/dl) concentration of the substrate. This antihemolytic affect of xylitol is likely accomplished through NADPH generation, which maintains the level of GSH and protects the hemoglobin and other structural and functional proteins against peroxidative damage.