Isoproterenol-induced changes in cell cycle kinetics of parotid gland acinar cells in 8-day-old rats.

Isoproterenol (IPR) was shown to alter some parameters of the parotid gland acinar cell cycle in 8-year-old rats. Although the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) synthetic period (S) was decreased and the pre-DNA synthetic (G1) period was lengthened, there were no differences in the total cycle time. There was an increase in the 3H-thymidine labeling index from 35.7 to 50.8% combined with a decrease in the value of the mitotic index from 2.64 to 2.16% after IPR was administered. The results suggest that noncycling (G0) cells may be involved in the normal differentiation of the parotid gland and that IPR alters the transition of acinar cells between the cycling and noncycling state.