[The effect of DHEA on AKT signal pathway on transplanted Morris hepatomas in rats].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the inhibitory effect of dehydroepaimdrosterone (DHEA) on the growth of transplanted Morris hepatomas (7288CTC) in vivo in rats.


METHODS
21 Buffalo rats were randomly devided into 4 groups, including one blank control group (n = 5), one group for tumor-bearing control (n = 6), and 2 experimental groups with DHEA (n = 6) or DHEA-s (n = 4). DHEA or DHEA-s was fed to the rats for 4 weeks immediately after Morris hepatomas (7288CTC) was implanted in both flanks. Phenotypes of the spleen lymphocytes were examined by flow cytometry, Akt and PTEN expression in tumor cells was detected by Western blot and immunohistochemistry.


RESULTS
Tumor weights of DHEA treated group were less than those of the control (P less than 0.05), the inhibitory rate was 43%. The results of Western blot and immunohistochemistry showed that in DHEA tumor group,the expression of phosphorilated Akt protein was decreased, the expression of PTEN was enhanced, the percentage of CD3 positive cells and the ratio of CD4/CD8 were increased (P less than 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
DHEA can inhibit tumor growth, possibly via the inhibition of the Akt signaling pathway as well as modulating the immune function.
First Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, China.
Yan-fang
YF
Jiang
Ping-wei
PW
Zhao
Jun-jie
JJ
Qin
Ming-hui
MH
Li
Matsuzaki
M
Yasushi
Jun-qi
JQ
Niu
D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D019314:Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate / Q000494:pharmacology; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008114:Liver Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation; D051059:PTEN Phosphohydrolase / Q000378:metabolism*; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / Q000378:metabolism*; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D011915:Rats, Inbred BUF; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone; D019314:Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; D051059:PTEN Phosphohydrolase