Dimethyl sulfoxide-induced augmentation of adenosine-adenylate cyclase response of pig skin epidermis.

Adenosine-adenylate cyclase response in pig skin epidermis showed a specific increase after long-term (24 h) incubation in the presence of 0.5%-1% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). There was no significant difference between control and DMSO-treated epidermis with regard to cyclic AMP (cAMP) phosphodiesterase activity. DMSO had no effect on the basal cAMP levels of epidermis; beta-adrenergic and histamine-adenylate cyclase responses were not affected. The direct addition of DMSO at the time of incubation with various adenylate cyclase stimulators (adenosine, epinephrine, and histamine) had no effect on agonist-induced cAMP accumulation effects. It was concluded that DMSO affected epidermal keratinocytes during long-term incubation, resulting in a specific increase in the adenosine-adenylate cyclase response. Although the biological significance of this DMSO effect remains to be determined, it should be kept in mind when using DMSO as a solvent for various chemicals in the experiments dealing with epidermal keratinocytes in vitro.