Regulator Missing in Prostate Cancer

Investigators from Northwestern University (Evanston, IL, USA) found that mice lacking PEDF developed an enlarged prostate, resembling human benign prostatic hyperplasia. In a study published in the June 2003 issue of Nature Medicine, they report that PEDF was present in healthy prostate tissue and normal prostate cells, but that little or no PEDF was present in prostate cancer tissue or in isolated prostate cancer cells grown in tissue culture. They found that adding purified PEDF to cultured prostate cancer cells triggered an increased rate of prostate cancer cell death. This effect was enhanced when the cells were deprived of oxygen.

Androgen ablation therapy is an important aspect of prostate cancer treatment. The current study found that this treatment activated PEDF in the cancerous tissue, closed down synthesis of new blood vessels, and led to death of tumor cells.




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