Yonago Acta medica 1991;34:143-154

Comparison of the Activities of Bile Acids and Phorbol Ester as Promoters in the Chemical Transformation of C3H/10T1/2 Fibroblasts in vitro

Kenichi Sumi

First Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Tottori University, Yonago 683, Japan

Using a system to transform C3H/10T1/2 fibroblasts in vitro, we determined which of the bile acids and 12-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA) was more potent as a promoter of transformation. We also examined whether or not the bile acids themselves showed initiating activities. Treatment of the cells with 3-methylcholanthrene (MCA) and then with TPA, caused a marked increase in the number of transformed cell foci, while treatment with MCA and then with bile acids, caused only a slight increase, compared to the number produced by MCA alone. Treatment of the cells with bile acids and subsequently with TPA did not produce any transformed cell foci. These results suggest that the promoting activities of bile acids are weaker than that of TPA, and that bile acids do not exhibit initiating activities in the transformation of C3H/10T1/2 fibroblast cells in vitro.

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