Inhibition of intercellular communication in rat hepatocytes by phenobarbital, 1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethane (DDT) and gamma-hexachlorocyclohexane (lindane): modification by antioxidants and inhibitors of cyclo-oxygenase.

Several tumour promoting chemicals have been shown to inhibit intercellular communication (IC) through gap junctions in cell cultures. In the present investigation we studied the effect of the hepatic tumour promoters phenobarbital (PB), 1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-(p-chlorophenyl)ethane (DDT) and gamma-hexachlorocyclohexane (lindane) on IC in rat hepatocyte cultures. IC was evaluated by microinjection of fluorescent Lucifer Yellow CH dye and visualization of dye spread to adjacent hepatocytes. Incubation of hepatocytes with PB (2 mM), DDT (30 microM) and lindane (25 microM) decreased dye-coupling of the cells by about 30%, 42% and 35%, respectively; dye-coupling in untreated cultures was 88.1 +/- 0.7%. Inhibition of IC was reversible when the xenobiotics were removed from the medium. The antioxidant vitamin E (100 microM) prevented inhibition of dye-coupling by PB and lindane and partially that by DDT. Superoxide dismutase (100 units/microliters) counteracted the effect on dye-coupling by PB, but not that by the insecticides. Similarly, the cyclo-oxygenase inhibitors indomethacin and aspirin only reversed the effect of PB on IC, but not that of DDT or lindane. As indicated by further experiments, prevention by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents of PB-induced inhibition of IC is most likely not mediated by inhibition of cyclo-oxygenase. The results indicate significant differences in the action of PB, DDT and lindane on IC in hepatocyte cultures. This is suggested by the differential effects of superoxide dismutase and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents on the action of the three tumour promoting chemicals. Whereas superoxide radicals may be involved in the inhibition of dye-coupling by PB, radical intermediates of the insecticides may be responsible for the decrease in dye-coupling by DDT and lindane.