[Highly permeable contacts and electrical characteristics of the tissue of the normal liver and hepatomas. III. Absence of an effect of the tumor promoter phenobarbital on intercellular contacts in the mouse liver].

The effect of phenobarbital--a specific promoter of hepatocarcinogenesis--on electrical parameters of mouse liver cells in vitro has been investigated using the conventional microelectrode technique. No alterations were found in cell membrane potentials, input resistances and electrical coupling coefficients measured either immediately after a short-term incubation of isolated livers in the presence of phenobarbital, or after a long-term treatment of the animals per os with the promoter for several weeks.