Open AccessA trophic effect of epidermal growth factor (EGF) on rat colonic mucosa in organ culture
Author(s) -
Finney K. J.,
Ince P.,
Appleton D. R.,
Sunter J. P.,
Watson A. J.
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
cell proliferation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.647
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1365-2184
pISSN - 0960-7722
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2184.1987.tb01081.x
Subject(s) - explant culture , epidermal growth factor , organ culture , mitotic index , biology , vincristine , cell growth , andrology , cell culture , endocrinology , medicine , mitosis , in vitro , microbiology and biotechnology , biochemistry , chemotherapy , genetics , cyclophosphamide
. The development of an organ‐culture system for rat colonic mucosa has enabled a direct assessment of the effect of epidermal growth factor (EGF) on cell division. An augmented mitotic index (AI m ) has been employed to identify changes in cell proliferation. Explants of colonic mucosa from four animals were maintained in a medium containing serum for five days. On the fifth day of culture, half of the explants received fresh medium containing EGF (40 ng/ml) and the remainder (controls) fresh medium only. At 6,12,24 and 48 hr thereafter groups of both experimental and control explants received the metaphase‐arresting drug vincristine (4 μ g/ml) for 3 hr prior to fixation. The proportions of vincristine‐arrested metaphases within the explants were determined. Analysis of the data indicates that when serum is present exogenous EGF exerts a trophic effect which increases with time ( P < 0.001). In a second experiment colonic explants from four animals were maintained for five days in a serum‐free medium and were then divided into groups, each of which received one of a range of concentrations of EGF. The AI m was determined for each group after 36 hr. It was found that increasing concentrations of EGF produce a small but significant increase in cell proliferation ( P < 0.01). This effect, however, was less pronounced than that seen when serum was present. These results suggest that EGF has a trophic action on the colon and interacts with additional factors found in serum.