Differential Inhibition by Fucoses of Aggregation of Rat Hepatoma Cells in Rotation-Mediated Cell Cultures

Abstract

The effects of D-fucose and L-fucose on the aggregation of L-dimethylaminoazobenzene (DAB)-induced rat hepatoma cells dRLa-74 and dRLh-84, which have a low and high tumor-producing activity, respectively, were examined in rotation-mediated cell culture. D-Fucose had no effect on the aggregation of dRLa-74 cells at all concentrations, whereas it had concentration-dependent effects on the aggregation of dRLh-84 cells. At the 30 mM concentration, D-fucose was effective in inhibiting the aggregation of dRLh-84 cells to about one-third that of the control cultures in their mean diameter. L-Fucose had concentration-dependent inhibitory effects on the aggregation of both dRLa-74 and dRLh-84 cells, though its effects on dRLh-84 cells were stronger than on dRLa-74 cells. In the presence of 30 mM L-fucose, the mean diameter of aggregates of d RLh-84 cells was about onefourth that of the control cultures.