The Prostate
-
Epidemiological studies and prevention trials suggest selenium is a promising preventive agent for prostate cancer. Selenium-containing compounds inhibited the growth of prostate cancer cell lines including androgen sensitive LNCaP and androgen insensitive DU145 and PC3 cells in vitro. Previous study revealed a novel mechanism of selenium action in which selenium (methylseleninic acid (MSA)) markedly reduced androgen receptor (AR) signaling in prostate cancer cells, suggesting that selenium might act as an antiandrogen, which could serve as a therapeutic agent for prostate cancer. In this study, we tested whether selenium (methylselenocysteine (MSC)) affects tumor growth of human prostate cancer cells by targeting AR signaling in vivo. ⋯ Pharmacological dose of MSC inhibits the growth of LNCaP human prostate cancer in vivo accompanied by a decrease in the expression of AR and PSA. These findings suggest that selenium (MSC) can serve as a therapeutic agent aimed at disruption of AR signaling for prostate cancer.