Arachidonic acid and prostaglandin E2 release and enhanced cell proliferation induced by the phorbol ester TPA in a murine epidermal cell line.

Addition of the phorbol ester 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) to a murine epidermal cell line leads to an early induction of the arachidonic acid cascade as measured by the release of [14C]arachidonic acid and [14C]prostaglandin E2 into the medium, to an induction of the ornithine decarboxylase and finally to cell proliferation. The results show that TPA induces the same sequence of biochemical events in vitro as in mouse epidermis in vivo. Thus, the in vitro system seems to be suitable to study the role of early membrane effects and membrane lipid turnover in the induction of cell proliferation and hyperplasia by TPA.