Effect of Retinoic Acid on Proliferation and Invasiveness of PC-3 and DU-145,Hormone Resistant Prostatic Cancer Cell Lines

Yoon, Sang Jin; Lee, Eun Sik; Lee, Chong Wook

Abstract

We studied the effect of retinoic acid, a potent differentiation inducer, on the proliferation and invasiveness of hormone resistant prostatic cancer cell lines, PC-3 and DU-145. Cellular growth measurement by MTY assay, flow cytometry for cell cycle analysis, Papanicolaou staining for examining the change of morphologic features and in vitro invasion assay using artificial basement membrane, matrigel, were performed under various concentration of all-trans-retinoic acid. Inhibition of cellular proliferation was retinoic acid dose dependent in both cell lines. Decreased S-phase and increased G-1 phase fraction were identified with time dependent manner in both cell lines. Less prominent chromatin and nucleotide, decreased nucleus/cytoplasm ratio were shown in Papanicolaou staining after 7 days culture with 10 uM of retinoic acid. In in vitro invasion assay, PC-3 cells showed decreased netlike formation and penetration though matrigel, and DU-145 cells showed decreased colony formation with 10 uM of retinoic acid. These findings suggest that the retinoic acid could ave the possibility of clinical application in hormone resistant prostatic cancer patients as a new therapeutic modality, differentiation therapy.