title: Sex steroids do not prevent amylin-induced apoptosis in human cells.
abstract: Formation of amylin-containing islet amyloid deposits may contribute to the progressive deterioration of beta cell function in non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. As diabetes mellitus occurs in male, but rarely in female transgenic mice expressing human amylin in their pancreatic beta cells, it is of interest to study the influence of estradiol (E2) and testosterone (T) on amylin-induced cytotoxicity in human cells. The insulinoma cell line CM, thyroid epithelial cells (TEC) in primary culture, and nontransformed fibroblast lines were used. The occurrence of apoptotic cell death was assessed by nuclear labeling with propidium iodide. Amylin was cytotoxic on all cell types tested, but had the most pronounced effect on TEC and the weakest on the CM cell line. Although both E2 and T decreased the proportion of apoptotic cells in cultures kept in the absence of amylin, neither of the two hormones was able to counteract amylin-induced cytotoxicity. beta cell death and hyperglycemia can thus presumably not be prevented by the neutralization of amylin effects by sex steroids.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Biomedical Aging Research of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Innsbruck, Austria.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schwingshackl
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Blasko
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Steiner
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pozzilli
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Cavallo
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Berger
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Grubeck-Loebenstein
mesh_terms: D000682:Amyloid / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000897:Anti-Ulcer Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004958:Estradiol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D058228:Islet Amyloid Polypeptide; D013739:Testosterone / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D000682:Amyloid; D000897:Anti-Ulcer Agents; D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal; D058228:Islet Amyloid Polypeptide; D013739:Testosterone; D004958:Estradiol