Mefloquine (MQ) is a prophylactic anti-malarial drug.
Previous studies have shown that MQ induces oxidative stress in vitro. Evidence indicates that reactive oxygen species (ROS) may be used as a therapeutic modality to kill cancer cells. This study investigated whether MQ also inhibits prostate cancer (PCa) cell growth. We used sulforhodamine B (SRB) staining to determine cell viability. MQ has a highly selective cytotoxicity that inhibits PCa cell growth. The antitumor effect was most significant when examined using a colony formation assay. MQ also induces hyperpolarization of the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), as well as ROS generation. The blockade of MQ-induced anticancer effects by N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) pre-treatment confirmed the role of ROS. This indicates that the MQ-induced anticancer effects are caused primarily by increased ROS generation. Moreover, we observed that MQ-mediated ROS simultaneously downregulated Akt phosphorylation and activated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling in PC3 cells. These findings provide insights for further anticancer therapeutic options.
Written by:
Yan KH, Yao CJ, Hsiao CH, Lin KH, Lin YW, Wen YC, Liu CC, Yan MD, Chuang SE, Lai GM, Lee LM. Are you the author?
Department of Urology, Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei Medical University, Taipei.
Reference: Oncol Lett. 2013 May;5(5):1541-1545.
doi: 10.3892/ol.2013.1211
PubMed Abstract
PMID: 23760395
UroToday.com Investigative Urology Section
