title: Orotic acid, nucleotide-pool imbalance, and liver-tumor promotion: a possible mechanism for the mitoinhibitory effects of orotic acid in isolated rat hepatocytes.
abstract: This study was designed to determine the possible mechanism by which orotic acid exerts its mitoinhibitory effect on rat hepatocytes in primary culture. Orotic acid inhibited, dose-dependently DNA synthesis in hepatocytes induced by epidermal growth factor, transforming growth factor alpha, hepatocyte growth factor, acidic fibroblast growth factor, or plasma from rats exposed to various liver cell-proliferative stimuli, such as two-thirds partial hepatectomy, lead nitrate, cyproterone acetate, ethylene dibromide, or a diet deficient in choline. Further, orotic acid inhibited DNA synthesis even when added 24 h after the hepatocytes were primed with transforming growth factor alpha. Taken together, these results suggested that the target site may not be at the level of the growth-factor receptor and receptor-mediated early events. In a preliminary experiment, orotic acid inhibited the expression of the ribonucleoside diphosphate reductase gene. Exposure to orotic acid results in an imbalance in nucleotide pools characterized by an increase in uridine nucleotides and a decrease in adenosine nucleotides. It is hypothesized that this imbalance in nucleotide pools inhibits the expression of the ribonucleoside diphosphate reductase gene and, therefore, is a likely target for the mitoinhibitory effect of orotic acid.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Manjeshwar
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sheikh
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pichiri-Coni
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Coni
authors.forename: P M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Rao
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rajalakshmi
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pediaditakis
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Michalopoulos
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Sarma
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D004247:DNA / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D005346:Fibroblast Growth Factors / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D006133:Growth Substances; D017228:Hepatocyte Growth Factor; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D008114:Liver Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000139:chemically induced*; D008297:Male; D008938:Mitosis / Q000187:drug effects; D009963:Orotic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D011916:Rats, Inbred F344; D012262:Ribonucleoside Diphosphate Reductase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D016211:Transforming Growth Factor alpha / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors
chemical_list: D006133:Growth Substances; D016211:Transforming Growth Factor alpha; D009963:Orotic Acid; D005346:Fibroblast Growth Factors; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor; D017228:Hepatocyte Growth Factor; D004247:DNA; D012262:Ribonucleoside Diphosphate Reductase