Effect of 1-(2-deoxy-2-fluoro-beta-D-arabinofuranosyl)-5-ethyluracil on mitochondrial functions in HepG2 cells

The effects of 1-(2-deoxy-2-fluoro-beta-D-arabinofuranosyl)-5-ethyluracil ( D-FEAU) on mitochondrial functions were examined in HepG2 cells. D-FEAU bet ween 0.1 and 10 mu M had no apparent inhibitory effect on cell proliferatio n for 2-week period; however, D-FEAU caused a decrease in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) content in a dose-dependent manner with an IC50 value of 2.7 mu M. A 20.9% of increase in lactic acid production was observed after the cells were incubated with 10 mu M of D-FEAU for 4 days without substantial effec t being detected at 0.1 and 1 mu M. In addition, no significant changes on mitochondrial morphology were observed in the cells treated with 10 mu M of D-FEAU for 14 days under the electron microscope. (C) 1999 Elsevier Scienc e B.V. All rights reserved.