The Oxford Biochemistry Department in wartime, 1939-45.

The work done in the Department of Biochemistry in Oxford during World War II is recounted. Reference is made to the research on burns, nutrition and malaria, but it is mainly concerned with the search for antidotes to mustard gas and lewisite. The discovery of a successful antidote to lewisite is described in some detail.

A growth factor for hepatocytes is inactivated by sub-lethal gamma-irradiation in vivo or in vitro.

Serum from partially hepatectomized rats promoted DNA synthesis in primary adult rat hepatocyte cultures. If the rats had been exposed to sub-lethal gamma-irradiation immediately following operation or if their serum, collected at 3 h, was exposed to irradiation in vitro, the growth-promoting activity was destroyed. Prostaglandin E2 also stimulated DNA synthesis in the cultures; if PGE2 was irradiated in serum from intact or partially hepatectomized rats its growth-promoting activity was markedly diminished.

Serum from partially hepatectomized rats induces primary hepatocytes to enter S phase: a role for prostaglandins?

Serum obtained from partially hepatectomized rats 1, 3 or 24 h after operation was more effective in stimulating DNA synthesis in primary adult rat hepatocytes than serum from sham-operated rats; exposure to the serum for 2 h was sufficient to promote growth. Serum from the partially hepatectomized rats contained elevated levels of PGE2 and PGF2 alpha; it promoted hepatocytes to release prostaglandins into their culture medium. Growth-promoting effects of the serum and its capacity to elicit prostaglandin release into the culture medium were inhibited by 0.