Endotoxin infusion primes elicited neutrophils and Kupffer cells for platelet-activating factor-induced and tripeptide formyl-methionine-leucine-phenylalanine-induced basal free intracellular calcium concentration responses.

Objective: To determine whether in vivo infusions of bacterial endotoxin prime rat Kupffer cells and elicited neutrophils by altering the basal free intracellular calcium concentration or the response of free intracellular calcium to platelet-activating factor or the tripeptide formyl-methionine-leucine-phenylalanine (f-met-leu-phe).

Design: Prospective, randomized, controlled study.

Setting: Laboratory of a university medical school.

Hormonal control of pancreatic cancer growth.

The effects of epidermal growth factor (EGF) and somatostatin-14 (SS) on growth of Mia PaCa-2 cells in cell culture were examined. EGF had no effect on cell growth in sera containing media but significantly increased growth in sera-free media. The effect of EGF was complete within 18 h.