Inhibition of intercellular communication in human keratinocytes by fractionated asphalt fume condensates

Asphalt fume condensate (AFC) and chromatographically separated fractions have been shown to cause cancer in mouse skin. The levels of known carcinogenic initiators in these complex mixtures, however, are considered too low to account for their carcinogenic potency. It has been proposed that AFC may contain co-carcinogenic or tumor-promoting agents in addition to carcinogenic initiators. Modulation of gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC) has been implicated as an important effect of tumor promoters. In this study, we examined the effect of five chromatographically generated fractions of AFC on GJIC in cultured human epidermal keratinocytes (HEK)