title: Transforming growth factor-alpha expression in rat experimental hepatocarcinogenesis.
abstract: Growth factors in general and transforming growth factor-alpha in particular have been related to cell proliferation and cell differentiation. This study was designed to clarify the distribution pattern of TGF-alpha in chemically-induced hepatocarcinogenesis. Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to different non-intensive or intensive carcinogenic treatments using diethylnitrosamine (DEN) as carcinogen and ethinyl estradiol (EE) as promoter. The livers were fixed in 2% paraformaldehyde, dehydrated in a series of ethanol solutions, embedded in paraffin and sectioned. In the preneoplastic lesions no TGF-alpha immunoreactive cells were identified, but in some hepatic tumours cell immunostained with TGF-alpha antibody were observed. These results suggest that the cells capable of expressing TGF-alpha constitutively may be involved in neoplastic development in vivo.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology and Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pérez-Tomás
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Mayol
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Culleré
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Díaz Ruiz
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Domingo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004052:Diethylnitrosamine; D004997:Ethinyl Estradiol; D005260:Female; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008114:Liver Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D011230:Precancerous Conditions / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D016211:Transforming Growth Factor alpha / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D016211:Transforming Growth Factor alpha; D004052:Diethylnitrosamine; D004997:Ethinyl Estradiol