Exogenous lactate interferes with cell-cycle control in Balb/3T3 mouse fibroblasts

Previous studies have shown that exogenous lactate may influence proliferation rates, radiation sensitivity, and postirradiation repair capacity of mammalian cells. In the present study, we addressed the question of potential underlying mechanisms and, therefore, examined effects of exogenous lactate on proliferation rates and cell-cycle distribution in immortal but nontumorigenic mammalian cells.

Cells were grown at 37 degrees C in an incubator with 5% CO2 and 95% air, in a culture medium supplemented or not with lactate at a 10 mM concentration. Daily, we changed the culture medium and counted cells per dish. On selected days, cell-cycle distribution was determined by flow cytometry. Balb/3T3 mouse fibroblasts were used.

During the exponential phase of cell proliferation, mean population doubling time was significantly increased from 17.7 to 19.9 h, due to selective prolongation of G2/M. However, in density-inhibited cultures, exogenous lactate stimulated entry into S and proliferation to a significantly higher saturation density.

These findings indicate that exogenous lactate interferes with mechanisms of cell-cycle control at two different points in the cell-cycle, depending on cell density and the resulting absence or presence of inhibition of cell proliferation. Interference with cell-cycle control may underly the modification by exogenous lactate of radiosensitivity and postirradiation repair capacity in mammalian cells.