Effect of phorbol esters on the release of growth hormone and prolactin from rat pituitary cells cultured in monolayer.

The effect of phorbol diester tumour promoters on the release of growth hormone (GH) and prolactin (Prl) was studied in rat pituitary cells cultured in monolayer. 12-O-tetradecanoyl phorbol-13-acetate (TPA), the most potent phorbol ester, stimulated GH accumulation in the cultured medium in a dose-dependent manner. TPA also stimulated Prl accumulation. A time course study indicated that TPA mainly stimulates release of GH. The maximal stimulation of GH release by TPA (100 ng/ml) was 3-4-fold over control. Phorbol-12,13-dibutyrate (PDB), another tumour-promoting phorbol ester, stimulated GH release to an extent similar to that of TPA, while a biologically inactive compound, phorbol-12,13-diacetate (PDA), had no effect. TPA-stimulated GH release was not affected by the presence of indomethacin, an inhibitor of prostaglandin (PG) synthesis, indicating that PG is not involved in the process of TPA-stimulated GH release. Co++, a competitive antagonist of Ca++, at 2.0 mM completely suppressed the GH release induced by TPA, and this inhibition was partially reversed by the addition of 2.0 mM Ca++. Verapamil, a Ca++ channel blocker, reduced TPA-stimulated GH release, and trifluoperazine, an inhibitor of Ca-calmodulin formation, had a similar effect. Somatostatin (SRIF) also inhibited the GH release by TPA. These observations are compatible with the idea that Ca++ may be involved in the process of TPA-stimulated GH release. Since TPA has been reported to activate a Ca++- and phospholipid-dependent protein kinase (protein kinase C), it is possible that TPA stimulate GH release by activating the enzyme. Further studies are required to clarify this point.