A PLANT STEROID, DIOSGENIN, A NEW MEGAKARYOCYTIC DIFFERENTIATION INDUCER OF HEL CELLS

We investigated the effect of plant steroids 5 alpha-spirosten-3 beta- ol (diosgenin), 5 alpha-spirostan-3 beta-ol (tigogenin) and 5 alpha-sp irostan-3 beta-ol-12-one (hecogenin) on the human erythroleukemia cell line (HEL TIB 180) and found that diosgenin addition to HEL cell cult ures induces morphological and biochemical changes characteristic for megakaryocyte cells. Diosgenin-treated cells exhibit, at the ultrastru ctural level, increases in size in cytoplasmic and nuclear complexity. At the biochemical level, we demonstrated that diosgenin-treated HEL cells increased glycoprotein Ib (GpIb) expression as previously descri bed in the megakaryocytic differentiation of HEL cells induced by nano molar dose phorbol myristate acetate treatment. (C) 1995 Academic Pres s, Inc.