Expression of Prostate Specific Antigen(PSA) by Etoposide and Androgen in Human Prostate Cancer Cells

Abstract

Prostate cancer(PrCa) is a leading cause of cancer-related death in man. Prostate specific antigen(PSA) is widely utilized as a marker for the diagnosis and monitoring of prostate cancer. This study examined effects of androgen 5α-dihydrotestosterone(DHT) vs DHEA and/or anticancer agent etoposide on proliferation and PSA expression of the prostate cancer LNCaP cells. A progressive increase in PSA secretion was observed at higher DHT concentration in case of 48 h treatment. compared to DHEA. Androgen played a significant role in the regulation of cellular proliferation and production of PSA in human prostate cancer LNCaP cells. In contrast with DHT, DHEA administration stimulated LNCaP cell proliferation in a time and dose-response manner, etoposide had a strong cytotoxic and apoptotic effect on LNCaP cells. Moreover, etoposide reduced cell growth and PSA expression induced by DHT and DHEA. These results demonstrate that etoposide could be a potential agent for the treatment of hormone refractory prostate cancer. Further studies of the mechanisms of DHEA will be required to discern the implication of DHEA supplementation on prostatic health because supplemental DHEA use may pose a cancer risk in patients with nascent or occult prostate cancer