Expression of dopamine receptor D2 in pulmonary carcinoma cells and effects of dopamine on the cell apoptosis / 南方医科大学学报

ABSTRACT

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To detect the expression of dopamine receptor D2 in different pulmonary carcinoma cells and investigate the effect of dopamine in inducing apoptosis of A549 cells.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Western blotting and RT-PCR were employed to detect the expression of dopamine receptor D2 in different pulmonary carcinoma cells (95D, H460, GLC-82, A549 and H446 cells). The apoptosis of A549 cells after a 6-hour exposure to 0.02%, 0.04%, 0.08% and 0.1% dopamine was analyzed by flow cytometry. The apoptosis-inducing effect of dopamine in vivo was also tested by intratumoral injection of 1% dopamine in 2 BALB/c-nu mice bearing A549 tumor xenograft using flow cytometry.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The presence of dopamine receptor D2 expression was detected by Western blotting and RT-PCR in 95D, H460, GLC-82, A549 and H446 cells. Flow cytometry detected obvious apoptosis of A549 cells following dopamine exposure in vitro in positive correlation to dopamine concentration. In the tumor-bearing mice, dopamine also showed an obvious apoptosis-inducing effect on A549 cells.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Dopamine receptor D2 exists extensively in different pulmonary carcinoma cells. Dopamine may promote the apoptosis of pulmonary carcinoma cells through dopamine receptor D2.</p>