Differentiating effect of sodium butyrate on human hepatoma cell lines PLC/PRF/5, HCC-M and HCC-T

The in vitro effect of sodium butyrate (SB) on human hepatoma cell lines PLC/PRF/5, HCC-M and HCC-T was investigated. SB was added at the non-toxic but cytostatic concentration of 1 mM. In all these cell lines, SB reduced cell proliferation and changed the morphology of the cells into a fibroblast-like shape. In PLC/PRF/5, alpha-fetoprotein production and c-myc expression were inhibited. In contrast, gene expression of albumin, one of the normal liver-cell products, and that of integrated hepatitis B virus genome, was increased. In HCC-M and HCC-T, c-myc expression, which was enhanced in the naive state, was reduced. In HCC-M, fos expression was inhibited but the expression of N- and K-ras genes did not change. SB seemed to induce normal or mature properties of hepatocytes in human hepatoma cell lines.