Effect of quercetin on heat shock protein 27 expression in prostate cancer cells

Abstract

To evaluate the mRNA expression of heat shock protein 27 (HSP27) in different prostate cancer cell lines including RWPE-1, LNCaP, PC-3, and TSU-Pr1 and to further analyze the effect of quercetin on PC-3 cell lines. The in vitro cultured human prostate cancer cell lines RWPE-1, LNCaP, PC-3, and TSU-Pr1 were randomly divided into four groups: control group; negative control group (treated with dimethyl sulfoxide), high-dose group (treated with 150 Μl 0.6 mg/ml quercetin), and low-dose group (treated with 150 Μl 0.3 mg/ml quercetin). The mRNA expression of HSP27 was detected by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunofluorescence staining. RT-PCR and immunofluorescence staining showed that HSP27 expression were highly dependent on the cell types and increased in an order of RWPE-1, LNCaP, PC-3, and TSU-Pr1 after quercetin treatment. The HSP27 mRNA expression levels were 128%, 110%, 50%, and 60% in control group, negative control group, high-dose group, and low-dose group. Obviously, it was significantly lower in the high-dose group and low-dose group than in the control group (both P<0.05). HSP27 expression level is associated with the the degree of prostate cancer. Quercetin may inhibit HSP27 expression in PC-3 cell.