The Chinese medicinal herbal formula ZYD88 inhibits cell growth and promotes cell apoptosis in prostatic tumor cells.
Prostate cancer is a leading cause of cancer death in American males. Currently, there is no curative therapy available once prostate cancer has metastasized. A major systemic therapy for metastatic prostate cancer is anti-androgen therapy. Unfortunately this therapy is only palliative and rarely curative, and eventually the tumor cells develop resistance to further hormone manipulation. It is therefore imperative to develop alternative effective therapies. In the present study, the effect of a Chinese herbal formula, ZYD88, on regulation of cell growth and cell apoptosis was examined in prostatic tumor cells. ZYD88 decreased cell viability of multiple prostatic tumor cell lines, DU-145, PC-3, MDA-PCa 2b and LNCaP in a time- and dose-dependent manner. It also produced a rapid and dose-dependent increase in caspase 3 activity in LNCaP and PC-3 cells, and induced DNA fragmentation in LNCaP cells, indicating cell apoptosis. In cotransfection assays, ZYD88 inhibited androgen-induced prostate specific antigen (PSA) gene promoter activity, and induced estrogen-target gene promoter activity. These data suggest that ZYD88 is a potential agent for prostate cancer therapy, and deserves further study.
Zhu
Yuan-Shan
YS
Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY 10021, USA. yuz2002@med.cornell.edu
Huang
Ying
Y
Cai
Li-Qun
LQ
Zhu
Jeff
J
Duan
Quwen
Q
Duan
Yanwen
Y
Imperato-McGinley
Julianne
J
D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases / Q000096:biosynthesis; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002470:Cell Survival; D053938:DNA Fragmentation; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013997:Time Factors; D014162:Transfection
D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; C483847:ZYD88 herbal formula; C505407:CASP3 protein, human; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases