title: COX-1 and -2 expressions in sex-related organs of neonatally estrogen-treated rats and in activated and nonactivated macrophage RAW264.7 cells with phytoestrogen.
abstract: Cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 is an inducible isoform, expressed in inflamed leukocytes and cancer cells. It is known that estrogen causes prostate dysplasia, but little is known about COX-2 expression and its influence on male reproductivity. In this study, we show that COX-2 was abolished in the distal end of the vas deferens in neonatally estrogenized (diethylstilbestrol, NeoDES) Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats at age of 15 mo, but the control normal rats were found to remain constitutive expression at the same age, while the levels of COX-1 in these rats remained intact. Furthermore, BAX, an indicator of sperm quality, was observed in the endothelium of vas deferens and sperm of the aged rats. However, COX-2 was not detected in the inflamed lesions of NeoDES rat's prostate by immunohistochemistry. In addition to estrogen, hydroxymatairesinol (HMR), a phytoestrogen, was analyzed in vitro for possible regulation on COX-2. Through Western blot analysis, HMR was shown to have no inhibitory affect on COX-2 expression. These results indicated that estrogen treatment strongly influences the expression of COX-2 that is associated with fertility, but no induction of COX-2 by estrogen may not exclude COX-2's role in prostatitis, and the anti-tumor mechanism of HMR largely remains elusive.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, University of Turku, Finland. luo58@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Cheng
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.forename: Risto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Santti
authors.forename: Ming Liang
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Marie C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Lin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002460:Cell Line; D016922:Cellular Senescence / Q000235:genetics; D051545:Cyclooxygenase 1 / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics*; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2 / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics*; D004054:Diethylstilbestrol / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D004790:Enzyme Induction / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D004967:Estrogens / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic / Q000187:drug effects; D005837:Genitalia, Male / Q000737:chemistry / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D017705:Lignans / Q000494:pharmacology; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology; D008262:Macrophage Activation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D008264:Macrophages / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics*; D048789:Phytoestrogens / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011467:Prostate / Q000737:chemistry / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000737:chemistry / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects; D014649:Vas Deferens / Q000737:chemistry / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D004967:Estrogens; D017705:Lignans; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D048789:Phytoestrogens; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein; C419306:hydroxymatairesinol; D004054:Diethylstilbestrol; D051545:Cyclooxygenase 1; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; C496513:Ptgs1 protein, rat; C489691:Ptgs2 protein, rat