Effect of 1-(2-deoxy-2-fluoro-beta-D-arabinofuranosyl)-5-ethyluracil on mitochondrial functions in HepG2 cells.

The effects of 1-(2-deoxy-2-fluoro-beta-D-arabinofuranosyl)-5-ethyluracil (D-FEAU) on mitochondrial functions were examined in HepG2 cells. D-FEAU between 0.1 and 10 microM had no apparent inhibitory effect on cell proliferation for 2-week period; however, D-FEAU caused a decrease in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) content in a dose-dependent manner with an IC50 value of 2.7 microM. A 20.9% of increase in lactic acid production was observed after the cells were incubated with 10 microM of D-FEAU for 4 days without substantial effect being detected at 0.1 and 1 microM. In addition, no significant changes on mitochondrial morphology were observed in the cells treated with 10 microM of D-FEAU for 14 days under the electron microscope.