Inhibition of metabolic cooperation in Chinese hamster cells by various chemical including tumor promoters.

The effects of 12-O-tetradecanoyl phorbol-13-acetate (TPA) and other chemicals on the contact-feeding phenomenon were investigated. The death of 6-TGr cells was prevented by TPA even upon culture with 3 times as many wild-type cells as in TPA-free medium. Seven out of 18 chemicals tested were shown to inhibit the phenomenon of metabolic cooperation. They were concanavalin A, lithocholic acid, chaetoglobosin A, 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid, urea, anthralin and saccharin. Among known tumor promoters, sodium deoxycholate, estradiol and phenobarbital did not inhibit the phenomenon of metabolic cooperation.