Inhibitory effect of Genipin on uncoupling protein-2 and energy metabolism of androgen-independent prostate cancer cells / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore whether the inhibitory effect of Genipin on uncoupling protein-2 (UCP-2) in mitochondria is involved in energy metabolism of androgen-independent PC3 prostate cancer cells.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>PC3 prostate cancer cells were cultured and treated with Genipin at the concentrations of 40, 80, and 160 μmol/L for 48 hours. Then the proliferation of the cells was detected by MTT assay, the expression of UCP-2 mRNA determined by RT-PCR, and the content of intracellular pyruvic acid (PA) and the activity of succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) in the mitochondria measured by visible spectrophotometry.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>With the increased concentration of Genipin, the proliferative activity of the PC-3 cells, the expression level of UCP-2 mRNA, the content of intracellular PA and the activity of SDH in the cells were all decreased, namely, with the enhanced inhibitory effect of Genipin on UCP-2, a trend of reduction was observed in the proliferation of the cells, intracellular PA content, and SDH activity in the mitochondria.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Genipin is involved in the energy metabolism of androgen-independent PC3 prostate cancer cells by reducing the content of intracellular PA and the activity of SDH in the mitochondria, which may be associated with its inhibitory effect on UCP-2.</p>

STC-1 is involved in anti-hypoxia proliferative balance of renal cancer cells by down-regulation of intracellular Ca2+ and HIF-1α levels / 浙江大学学报·医学版

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate effects of stanniocalcin-1 (STC-1) on proliferation balance under hypoxic condition in renal cancer cells and its mechanism.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Hypoxic model was induced on renal cancer GRC-1 cells (Group H), the cells were treated with STC-1 protein at concentrations of 0.1 nmol/L (H1), 0.5 nmol/L (H2), 1.0 nmol/L (H3), or normal saline (H0) for 48 h， respectively. Cells proliferation was measured by MTT assay; mRNA and protein expressions of hypoxia inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α) and STC-1 in GRC-1 cells were detected by RT-PCR and ELISA, respectively; the intracellular levels of Ca2+ and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) were determined by fluorescence spectrophotometry and spectrophotometry, respectively.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The expression of HIF-1α, STC-1 and Ca2+ levels were increased in GRC-1 cells under hypoxia condition; STC-1 reversed these changes in a dose-effect manner. Hypoxia significantly inhibited cell proliferation and the generation of ATP in GRC-1 cells and exogenous STC-1 reversed the effects of hypoxia; ATP generation increased gradually with increasing STC-1 concentration, but the cell proliferation was reduced.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Exogenous STC-1 can promote the proliferation of renal cancer cells in hypoxia condition by reducing HIF-1α expression and Ca2+ content and increased ATP production, but the progressive inhibition of HIF-1 α hindered the renal carcinoma cell proliferation further, which indicates that STC-1 may be involved in anti-hypoxia proliferative balance of renal cancer cells.</p>

Effects of stanniocalcin-1 and hypoxia-inducible factor-1α on mitochondrial membrane potential stability in renal carcinoma cells / 中国医学科学院学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the effects of stanniocalcin-1 (STC-1) and hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) on the calcium and thus on the mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψm) in renal carcinoma cells.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We successfully established the renal carcinoma cell models with high HIF-1α gene expression. After various concentrations of STC-1 solutions were added to the culture medium, the proliferation of cells, expressions of HIF-1α and STC-1, levels of Ca(2+), Δψm, and mPTP were detected by MTT, RT-PCR, ELISA, fluorescence spectrophotometry, and ultraviolet spectrophotometry, respectively.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The proliferation of renal carcinoma cells and Δψm were improved after HIF-1α gene transfection, STC-1 protein intervention, and STC-1 protein intervention after gene transfection. While the intracellular Ca(2+) level and mPTP were decreased significantly (P<0.05), all the changes were intensified with the gradual increase of STC-1. However, the increasing trend of cell proliferation gradually declined.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>HIF-1α may participate in malignant proliferation of renal carcinoma cells by promoting STC-1 proliferation or down-regulating Ca(2+); however, such an effect may be gradually attenuated due to the inhibitory effect of STC-1 on HIF-1α.</p>

Gossypol decreases the expression of connexin 43 in Sertoli cells / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the effect of gossypol on the expression of connexin 43 (CX43) in Sertoli cells.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>TM4 Sertoli cells were cultured and treated with gossypol at the concentrations of 1.25, 2.5, 5 and 10 micromol/L for 6, 12, 24 and 48 hours. The cytotoxicity of gossypol was assessed by CCK-8 assay, and the expression of CX43 in the normal TM4 Sertoli cells and in those treated with different concentrations of gossypol for different times was detected by RT-PCR and immunofluorescence analysis.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Semiquantitative RT-PCR and immunofluorescence analysis showed the expression of CX43 in the normal TM4 cells. At 24 hours of exposure to gossypol, the expression began to decrease gradually with the prolonging of time and the increasing concentration of gossypol (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Gossypol reduces the expression of CX43 in TM4 Sertoli cells, which might underlie the mechanism of its antifertility action.</p>

The testosterone mimetic properties of icariin / 亚洲男科学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>AIM</b>To evaluate the testosterone mimetic properties of icariin.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Forty-eight healthy male Sprague-Dawley rats at the age of 15 months were randomly divided into four groups with 12 rats each: the control group (C), the model group (M), the icariin group (ICA) and the testosterone group (T). The reproductive system was damaged by cyclophosphamide (intraperitoneal injection, 20 mg/kg x day) for 5 consecutive days for groups M, ICA and T, at the sixth day, ICA (gastric gavage, 200 mg/kg x day) for the ICA group and sterandryl (subcutaneous injection, 5 mg/rat . day) for the T group for 7 consecutive days, respectively. The levels of serum testosterone, luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), serum bone Gla-protein (BGP) and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase activity in serum (StrACP) were determined. The histological changes of the testis and the penis were observed by microscope with hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase biotin-dUTP-X nick end labeling (TUNEL), respectively.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>(1) Icariin improved the condition of reproductive organs and increased the circulating levels of testosterone. (2) Icariin treatment also improved the steady-state serum BGP and might have promoted bone formation. At the same time, it decreased the serum levels of StrACP and might have reduced the bone resorption. (3) Icarrin suppressed the extent of apoptosis of penile cavernosal smooth muscle cells.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Icariin has testosterone mimetic properties and has therapeutic potential in the management of hypoandrogenism.</p>