Normal (nonneoplastic) human prostatic secretory epithelial cells do not express the bcl-2 protein. However, a recent immunohistochemical survey of neoplastic human prostate tissues showed that a fraction of primary untreated prostate adenocarcinoma cells expressed this apoptosis-suppressing oncoprotein at significant levels (Colombel et al., Am. J. Pathol., 143: 390-400, 1993). Additionally, a...

Reactive stroma has been reported in many cancers, including breast, colon,and prostate. Although changes in stromal cell phenotype and extracellular matrix have been reported, specific mechanisms of how reactive stroma affects tumor progression are not understood. To address the role of stromal cells in differential regulation of tumor incidence, growth rate, and angiogenesis, LNCaP xenograft ...

Guggulsterone, a constituent of Indian Ayurvedic medicinal plant Commiphora mukul, causes apoptosis in cancer cells but the sequence of events leading to cell death is poorly understood. We now show that guggulsterone-induced cell death in human prostate cancer cells is caused by reactive oxygen intermediate (ROI)–dependent activation of c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK). Exposure of PC-3 and LNC...

BACKGROUND We have previously shown that prostate cancer LNCaP cells are resistant to TRAIL, and downregulation of PI-3K/Akt pathway by molecular and pharmacological means sensitizes cells to undergo apoptosis by TRAIL and curcumin. The purpose of this study was to examine the molecular mechanisms by which resveratrol sensitized TRAIL-resistant LNCaP cells. RESULTS Resveratrol inhibited growt...

N-(4-Hydroxyphenyl)retinamide (4-HPR), a retinoic acid analog, induces apoptosis in several cell types. The mechanism by which 4-HPR initiates apoptosis remains poorly understood. We examined the effects of 4-HPR on two prostate carcinoma cell lines, LNCaP (an androgen-sensitive, p53(+/+) cell line) and PC-3 (an androgen-insensitive, p53(-/-) cell line). 4-HPR caused sustained c-Jun N-terminal ...

Apoptosin, a novel gene encoding a mitotic kinase-motif protein, is stimulated by activin, a member of TGF-beta family, in human LNCaP prostate cancer cells and in patient tissues. We employed a gene knockout methodology based on the covalent bonding of chemically modified antisense probes to apoptosin mRNAs in LNCaP cells. The mRNA-antisense hybrid duplexes were neither translated nor post-tra...

OBJECTIVES Five-alpha reductase inhibitors (5ARIs) are known as chemopreventive agents in prostate cancer with a risk of high-grade disease. This study evaluated the effects of 5ARI on androgen receptor (AR) and proteins involved in prostate cell growth such as HOXB13 expression in human prostate tissue and LNCaP prostate cancer cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS We retrospectively selected 21 pati...

Dietary isothiocyanates (ITCs) are highly effective in affording protection against chemically induced cancers in laboratory animals. In the present study, we demonstrate that allyl isothiocyanate (AITC), a constituent of cruciferous vegetables, significantly inhibits proliferation of cultured PC-3 (androgen-independent) and LNCaP (androgen-dependent) human prostate cancer cells in a dose-depen...

Extracts of Cimicifuga racemosa (L.) Nutt. (syn.: Actaea racemosa L.) (CR) inhibit the proliferation of the human prostate cancer cell line LNCaP. Recently, the phenylpropanoid ester 3,4-dihydroxyphenacyl caffeate (petasiphenone, 1) was isolated from CR. This substance is a structural homologue to petasiphenol ([3-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-2-oxopropyl caffeate]), a compound produced by Petasites ja...

We describe an in vitro model for prostate cancer treatment that suggests a potential benefit for combined androgen ablation and cytotoxic chemotherapy. Androgen treatment of the LNCaP hormone-dependent human prostate cancer cell line induces increased expression of the BCL-2 protein. Increased levels of this protein are known to mediate inhibition of apoptosis. LNCaP cells, however, did not un...