[All-trans retinoic acid enhances bystander effect of suicide-gene therapy against androgen-unresponsive prostate cancer].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the enhancing effect of all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) on the bystander effect of the herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase(HSV-TK)/ganciclovir (GCV) against androgen unresponsive prostate cancer.


METHODS
The bystander effect of the HSV-TK/GCV system was measured by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay on PC-3 cells before and after ATRA treatment. The growth and the histopathology of transplant tumors were observed in 4 groups of nude mice with prostate cancer.


RESULTS
ATRA augmented significantly the bystander effect of the HSV-TK/GCV system by reducing TK positive PC-3 cells from 50% to 30% (P < 0.05). HSV-TK showed an inhibiting effect, while ATRA with the HSV-TK/GCV system produced significant effect on prostate cancer 1 week earlier than the former (P < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
ATRA can argument the in vivo and in vitro bystander effect of the HSV-TK/GCV system in the treatment of androgen unresponsive prostate cancer.
Chen
Wei-Guo
WG
Department of Urology, First Hospital Affiliated to Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215006, China. wg.chen@sohu.com
Yan
Chun-Yin
CY
Hou
Jian-Quan
JQ
Wen
Duan-Gai
DG
Pu
Jin-Xian
JX
Wang
Heng-Bing
HB
D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D024201:Bystander Effect / Q000187:drug effects*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D015774:Ganciclovir / Q000494:pharmacology; D041722:Genes, Transgenic, Suicide / Q000235:genetics*; D015316:Genetic Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008819:Mice, Nude; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D018139:Simplexvirus / Q000201:enzymology; D013937:Thymidine Kinase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014212:Tretinoin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D023041:Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays / Q000379:methods
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D014212:Tretinoin; D013937:Thymidine Kinase; D015774:Ganciclovir