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α1-Antichymotrypsin inhibits chymotrypsin-induced apoptosis in rat hepatoma cells

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Abstract

Increased serum levels of α1-antichymotrypsin (α1ACT) are observed in some cancer patients, especially those with hepatocellular carcinoma. A possible role of α1ACT in tumour growth has been suggested, but this remains uncertain. We have demonstrated that α1ACT inhibited chymotrypsin-induced apoptosis in rat hepatoma H4 cells. Even low concentrations of chymotrypsin (but not trypsin) induce apoptosis in H4 cells with a minimum effective concentration of 2.4 × 10−2 units/ml (0.5 μg/ml), and this apoptosis was inhibited by α1ACT in a concentration-dependent manner. Furthermore, the concentrations of α1ACT required to inhibit the apoptosis were lower than normal serum levels. These results may indicate that α1ACT plays a role in the apoptosis of rat hepatoma cells.

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Authors
  1. T. Emoto
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  2. K. Nakamura
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  3. Y. Nagasaka
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  4. F. Numa
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  5. Y. Suminami
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  6. H. Kato
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Emoto, T., Nakamura, K., Nagasaka, Y. et al. α1-Antichymotrypsin inhibits chymotrypsin-induced apoptosis in rat hepatoma cells. Apoptosis 3, 155–160 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009694621397

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