Searchable abstracts of presentations at key conferences in endocrinology
Endocrine Abstracts (2009) 20 P185

ECE2009 Poster Presentations Endocrine tumours and neoplasia (53 abstracts)

Estradiol influences somatostatin receptor expression and potentiates the effects of SOM230 on prostate cells

Valentina Rossi 1 , Giuseppe Bellastella 1 , Daniela Visconti 1 , Ciro Abbondanza 2 , Luigi Maione 1 , Antonio Bellastella 1 & Antonio Agostino Sinisi 1


1Endocrinology, Internal Medicine and Surgery Department, Second University of Napoli, Napoli, Italy; 2General Pathology Department, Second University of Napoli, Napoli, Italy.


Somatostatin (SS) receptors (SSR) expression may be modulated by estrogens in breast cancer cells. Aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of estradiol (E2) on SSR levels in prostate epithelial cells (PEC).

Methods: We investigated the effects of E2 and SS-analogue SOM230 combined treatment on two PEC lines: EPN that expresses both ERalfa and beta and CPEC, showing no ERalfa and very low ERbeta expression. Cells starved in red phenol-free DMEM and 1% charcoal treated FBS for 5d were treated with 20 mM E2 or 10−6 or 10−8 SOM230 or 20 mM E2+ SOM230 (10−8 or +10−6) for 48 h. Cells were differently harvested for semiquantitative RT-PCR, Western blot or flow cytometry (FACS) analyses.

Results: In EPN E2 or SOM 10−6 alone induced apoptosis and decreased slightly proliferation; 20 mM E2+ SOM230 (10−8 or 10−6) combined treatment induced a stronger rate of apoptosis and a greater decrease of proliferation. The synergistic action correlated to: a reduction in S-phase proliferation with an arrest in G0/G1 phase induced by SOM230 and increased by E2-SOM 230 co-treatment; a caspase-dependent apoptosis induced by SOM230; a reduction of bcl-2 levels induced after addition of E2; an up-regulation of SSR 1, 2 and 5 mRNA and proteins induced by E2 that amplified SOM230 effects at lower doses. In CPEC, expressing SSRs 3, 5, and low levels of SSTR1 and 2, SOM230 induced a modest apoptotic effect; moreover, E2 administration did not influence SSR expression neither SOM230 effects on cell growth.

Conclusion: Of E2 increases the inhibitory effects of SOM230 in prostate cellsexpressing ERalfa and beta, acting directly on cell growth and cell death control and up-regulating SSRs. The evaluation of ERs and SSRs should be performed preliminarily in order to verify the possible efficiency of E2-SOM230 combined treatment in prostate cancer.

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