Epidermal chalone and cyclic AMP: an in vivo study.

Water extracts of skin contain two factors that inhibit epidermal cell proliferation: one substance inhibits epidermal cells in the G2 phase (the epidermal G2 inhibitor), and another inhibits the transit of cells from the G1 phase into the S phase (the epidermal G1 inhibitor). Pretreatment of mice with a beta-receptor antagonist (propranolol) abolished the activity of the G2 inhibitor but not that of the G1 inhibitor. After pretreatment with both propranolol and a phosphodiesterase inhibitor (caffine)the G2 inhibitor had full effect. Cafine alone had a moderately inhibitory effect on epidermal G2 cells and enhanced the depressing effect of the G1 inhibitor on epidermal DNA synthesis. AMP level in epidermis to be active. Cyclic AMP is probably also involved in the regulation of the rate of transit of epidermal G1 cells into the S phase but the epidermal cyclic AMP level seems not to be so critical for the efficacy of the epidermal G2 inhibitor in epidermal cell differentiation.