The effects of hemin (Fe-protoporphyrin) and Co-protoporphyrin on cellular growth have been investigated principally in cultured fibroblasts, but also in myoblasts and hepatocytes from chick embryos. In the presence of horse serum in the culture medium, which by itself did not stimulate cell growth appreciably, Co-protoporphyrin stimulated cell attachment while hemin stimulated cell proliferation of fibroblasts. When Co-protoporphyrin and hemin were added together, the most potent stimulation of cell growth, consisting of increases in cell attachment and rapid cell proliferation, was observed. These findings indicate that the two metalloporphyrins have differential and complementary effects on cellular growth in culture, with synthetic Co-protoporphyrin principally affecting cellular attachment and Fe-protoporphyrin stimulating cellular proliferation.
Chick or bovine transferrin induces proliferation of chick embryo cells cultured in the presence of horse serum, which cannot itself assure their multiplication. Cell growth can also be induced by iron salts and iron complexes such as hemoglobin or hemin, but also by biliverdin which has no iron atom in its molecule.
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