Effect of purified growth factors on rabbit articular chondrocytes in monolayer culture. I. Dna synthesis.

The ability of purified growth factors, insulin, ascorbate, and several other compounds to stimulate DNA synthesis by rabbit articular chondrocytes was studied in monolayer culture. Platelet-derived growth factor (1 U/ml), pituitary fibroblast growth factor (1-100 ng/ml), and epidermal growth factor (1-50 ng/ml) were stimulatory in a basal medium supplemented with 1% heat-inactivated fetal bovine serum. Insulin, 1-50 micrograms/ml, has small growth-promoting effects but acted synergistically with platelet-derived, pituitary fibroblast, and epidermal growth factors. Increasing concentrations of serum up to 10% enhanced the growth-promoting action of the purified factors, but not of insulin. There were indications of cooperation between insulin and bovine serum albumin and dexamethasone. Ascorbate (0.2 mM) reduced or had little growth-promoting action in the basal medium. At 5 and 10% serum concentrations, however, ascorbate promoted DNA synthesis as effectively as the purified growth factors. No significant stimulatory effect was shown by transferrin, thrombin, L-glutamine, putrescine, selenous acid, dexamethasone, 7S nerve growth factor, or multiplication-stimulating activity.