Modulation of placental alkaline phosphatase activity and cytokeratins in human HN-1 cells by butyrate, retinoic acid, catecholamines and histamine.

The effects of butyrate and retinoic acid in combination with catecholamines or histamine on the HN-1 human head and neck squamous carcinoma cell line were investigated analysing cell proliferation, placental alkaline phosphatase (PLAP) activity, and relative cytokeratin content. Butyrate inhibited cell proliferation in agar, whereas retinoic acid induced a small inhibitory effect. Butyrate enhanced PLAP activity in a time related manner in contrast to retinoic acid, which had no significant effect. However, retinoic acid inhibited the efficacy of butyrate to induce PLAP activity. A synergistic enhancement of PLAP activity was demonstrated after treatment of butyrate pretreated cells with catecholamines or histamine. The beta-adrenergic antagonist propranolol partly inhibited the aforementioned enhancement of PLAP activity, whereas the alpha-adrenergic antagonist phentolamine further enhanced PLAP activity. Indirect labeling of keratins with a polyclonal antibody showed that cytokeratin content was enhanced by butyrate but not by retinoic acid. Further analysis of cytokeratin content using four monoclonal antibodies showed that labeling of cytokeratins (5 + 8) was increased by butyrate. PLAP activity could be modulated by a concerted action of either butyrate plus retinoic acid or butyrate plus catecholamines or histamine, indicating a possible role for PLAP in tumour cell proliferation.