Inhibition of Dunning tumor growth by melatonin.
Injections of the pineal hormone melatonin reduced growth and increased doubling time of the R3327H Dunning prostatic adenocarcinoma in the Copenhagen X Fisher rat. This occurred even though testosterone levels (50% of normal) were ostensibly high enough to maintain normal tumor growth. Melatonin may act directly upon the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone to inhibit tumor growth. Alternatively, a more complicated mechanism may be involved since studies on MCF breast cancer tissue indicate an estrogen requirement for inhibition of growth by melatonin.
Philo
R
R
Department of Neurobiology, University of Texas Medical School at Houston 77225.
Berkowitz
A S
AS
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy*; D000818:Animals; D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000032:analysis; D008297:Male; D008550:Melatonin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D051381:Rats; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood
D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone; D013739:Testosterone; D008550:Melatonin