Transforming growth factor‐β and epidermal growth factor modulate basal and interleukin‐6‐induced amino acid uptake and acute phase protein synthesis in cultured rat hepatocytes

Rat hepatocytes cultured for 2 days with interleukin-6 show increased synthesis of acute phase proteins and enhanced accumulation of 14C-labelled alpha-aminoisobutyric acid. Transforming growth factor-beta 1 (0.1-10 ng/ml) inhibits whereas epidermal growth factor (1-100 ng/ml) enhances both basal and interleukin-6-induced amino acid uptake by rat hepatocytes with only a slight alteration of acute phase protein synthesis.