Antiproliferative properties of bromocryptine (CB-154) on human cells: a further rationale for medical management of pituitary macroadenomas.
In recent years an antimitotic effect has been observed in animal studies for bromocryptine, an ergot-alkaloid derivative. In this paper a case of severe leucopenia in a hyperprolactinaemic woman on chronic bromocryptine treatment is reported. Furthermore, results are reported of an experimental study carried out in vitro on blood lymphocytes from healthy human donors. The suggested cytostatic activity of bromocryptine was studied by evaluating the effects of progressively increasing doses (1, 5, 20 micrograms) of the drug on methyl-[3H]-thymidine incorporation by lymphocytes. A significant reduction of thymidine incorporation was observed corresponding to the increase of the bromocryptine dose which had been added to the cultures. With only 20 micrograms of bromocryptine the viability of cells was reduced by 50%. These results, which demonstrate that bromocryptine has an inhibitory action on DNA synthesis of cultured lymphocytes, suggest that it is justified to employ bromocryptine for medical therapy of large prolactinomas, in order to favour the subsequent surgical approach to these tumours.
D000236:Adenoma / Q000188:drug therapy*; D000328:Adult; D001971:Bromocriptine / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000187:drug effects; D010911:Pituitary Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D011388:Prolactin / Q000378:metabolism
D001971:Bromocriptine; D011388:Prolactin