Acidic fibroblast growth factor (HBGF-1) stimulates DNA synthesis in primary rat hepatocyte cultures

Acidic fibroblast growth factor (aFGF) stimulated DNA synthesis in primary rat hepatocyte cultures in a dose-dependent manner with maximal effect at 10-50 ng ml-1. This activity was dependent on the presence of heparin at a concentration of 10-50 micrograms.ml-1. Insulin interacted synergistically with aFGF, as it did with epidermal growth factor (EGF). The response to aFGF was only 50% that found with EGF. The disparity was not due to different kinetics of DNA synthesis, since the peak response for both growth factors occurred at 36-72 hr after plating of the hepatocytes. The potential relevance of this novel hepatocyte mitogen to normal and pathological liver growth is discussed.