title: Effects of sodium butyrate on DNA content, glutathione S-transferase activities, cell morphology and growth characteristics of rat liver nonparenchymal epithelial cells in vitro.
abstract: The effects of sodium butyrate, which has been shown to act as a differentiation promoting agent in several different tumor cell lines, were studied in a rat liver nonparenchymal epithelial cell line. Exposure of these cells to 3.75 mM butyrate resulted in an inhibition of cell proliferation and, at the same time, an increase in cell diameter (2- to 6-fold) and size of the nuclei (approximately 2-fold) after 3 days in culture. Binucleated cells arose, comprising approximately 12% of the cells investigated, and the number of cells with an abnormal set of chromosomes was increased. Intercellular communication, measured by dye transfer of Lucifer Yellow, was unchanged. From the various xenobiotic metabolizing enzyme activities measured, only those of glutathione S-transferases were significantly altered (increases of 4- to 9-fold) by butyrate treatment. These increases were mainly due to the predominant rise in the pi class isoenzyme which is a well-known tumour marker in rat hepatocarcinogenesis. Thus, our results cannot be interpreted as being either due to promotion of differentiation or due to transformation. The state and type of cell under study has to be considered and investigations of further differentiation parameters are needed to obtain a deeper insight into the biological activity and the underlying mechanisms of cell state modifying agents like butyrate.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Toxicology, University of Mainz, Germany.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Utesch
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Traiser
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Gath
authors.forename: A W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Dorresteijn
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Maier
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Oesch
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002087:Butyrates / Q000494:pharmacology*; D020148:Butyric Acid; D002450:Cell Communication; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002875:Chromosomes; D004247:DNA / Q000032:analysis*; D004847:Epithelial Cells; D004848:Epithelium / Q000187:drug effects; D005982:Glutathione Transferase / Q000378:metabolism*; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000737:chemistry / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D011506:Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D002087:Butyrates; D007527:Isoenzymes; D011506:Proteins; D020148:Butyric Acid; D004247:DNA; D005982:Glutathione Transferase