Ursolic acid, a naturally occurring triterpenoid, demonstrates anticancer activity on human prostate cancer cells.
OBJECTIVE
Glucocorticoids are widely used as adjuvant therapy in hormonal refractory prostate cancer; their therapeutic role, however, remains unclear. Ursolic acid, a natural triterpene, structurally similar to dexamethasone, exhibits antitumor effects in various cell types. Our main objective was to investigate the effects of ursolic acid on cell viability, apoptosis and bcl-2 protein, in human hormone refractory and androgen-sensitive prostate cancer cells.


METHODS
The ursolic acid-induced changes in cell viability, apoptosis and bcl-2 protein were examined in human hormone refractory prostate cancer PC-3 cells and androgen-sensitive LNCaP cells, by MTT assay, flow cytometry and western blot analysis, respectively.


RESULTS
Ursolic acid inhibited significantly the cell viability and induced apoptosis in PC-3 cells at 55 microM and in LNCaP cells at 45 microM associated with a downregulation of bcl-2 protein.


CONCLUSIONS
The antiproliferative and apoptotic effects of ursolic acid in PC-3 and LNCaP cells implicate its potential therapeutic use for the treatment of hormone refractory and androgen-sensitive prostate cancer. The downregulation of bcl-2 may be one of the molecular mechanisms via which it induces apoptosis in PC-3 and LNCaP cells.
Kassi
E
E
Department of Biological Chemistry, Medical School, University of Athens, 75 Mikras Asias Street, 115 27 Goudi, Athens, Greece.
Papoutsi
Z
Z
Pratsinis
H
H
Aligiannis
N
N
Manoussakis
M
M
Moutsatsou
P
P
D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D004354:Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009376:Neoplasms, Hormone-Dependent / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000032:analysis; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism*; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000378:metabolism; D014315:Triterpenes / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D000097245:Ursolic Acid
D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D014315:Triterpenes; D000097245:Ursolic Acid