Dietary orotic acid, a new selective growth stimulus for carcinogen altered hepatocytes in rat.

It was observed that orotic acid (OA), a precursor for pyrimidine nucleotide biosynthesis, when supplied exogenously at 1% level in the diet selectively stimulated the growth of hepatocytes modified by 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (1,2-DMH) to form gamma-glutamyltransferase (gamma-GT) (EC 2.3.2.2) positive islands. Increasing the duration of OA diet from 5 to 10 weeks resulted in an increase in the number of foci from 6 to 14/cm2. Rats that received the carcinogen and basal diet, however, developed only 1-2 foci/cm2. This unique effect of OA can be further accentuated by supplying a liver cell proliferative stimulus, such as a single necrogenic dose of CCl4.