Retinoic acid stimulates essential fatty acid-supplemented human keratinocytes in culture.

The effect of all-trans retinoic acid on the proliferation of essential fatty acid (EFA)-deficient and of EFA-supplemented adult human keratinocytes was investigated. EFA-deficient cell strains were supplied with one of four different fatty acid-supplemented media at the P0 to P1 passage. All-trans retinoic acid at 0.5 or 1.0 microM was added to the cultures at the P1 to P2 passage. At passage P3, and 3 and 7 d thereafter, the cell growth rate was determined. The fatty acid content of cultures grown in each medium was measured using gas chromatography. All the EFA media "normalized" the cellular fatty acid composition and drastically decreased the cell number and total DNA and protein of the cultures. All-trans retinoic acid at 1 microM prevented the loss of cell viability and growth usually associated with EFA supplementation but did not affect the control (EFA deficient) or 18:1 fatty acid-supplemented cultures. All-trans retinoic acid at 1 microM altered the fatty acid content of the EFA-supplemented cultures. A statistically significant increase in 14:0, 14:1, 16:1, 18:1, and 20:4 fatty acids occurred, whereas the amounts of 18:0 and 18:2 fatty acids decreased. The largest changes were in 16:1 fatty acid (8-14%) and 18:2 fatty acid (12-5%). All-trans retinoic acid at 0.5 microM also affected both cell growth and fatty acid composition without induction of the CRABP II message. These studies demonstrate that all-trans retinoic acid stimulates the growth of EFA-supplemented keratinocyte cultures while also altering the fatty acid composition of the cells.