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Comitogenic effects of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide on rat hepatocytes

The primary mitogens such as epidermal growth factor and transforming growth factor‐α are known to stimulate DNA synthesis in primary cultures of adult rat hepatocytes. Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) was found to amplify DNA synthesis induced by the primary mitogens and thus acted as a comitogen. The comitogenic effect of VIP was specific for the culture medium, suggesting that minor components in the medium were required for hepatocytes to fully respond to VIP. Glutamic acid is probably one of these minor components, although other components present in the nutrient‐rich medium were also necessary for the full comitogenic effect. Other comitogens such as insulin, vasopressin, and angiotensin II interacted additively with low concentrations of VIP. The comitogenic effect of VIP was also found in hepatocytes cultured from regenerating rat liver after a partial hepatectomy. In the regenerating hepatocyte cultures, VIP can act as a mitogen even in the absence of the primary mitogen EGF. VIP mRNA was found in several organs including brain, intestine, and liver, and its expression was slightly induced in liver 24 h after a partial hepatectomy. These results suggest that VIP can act as a hepatic comitogen and may play a role in liver cell proliferation. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.