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Fragni M, Fiorentini C, Rossini E, Fisogni S, Vezzoli S, Bonini SA, Dalmiglio C, Grisanti S, Tiberio GAM, Claps M, Cosentini D, Salvi V, Bosisio D, Terzolo M, Missale C, Facchetti F, Memo M, Berruti A, Sigala S. In vitro antitumor activity of progesterone in human adrenocortical carcinoma. Endocrine 2019; 63:592-601. [PMID: 30367443 DOI: 10.1007/s12020-018-1795-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2018] [Accepted: 10/15/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE The management of patients with adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is challenging. As mitotane and chemotherapy show limited efficacy, there is an urgent need to develop therapeutic approaches. The aim of this study was to investigate the antitumor activity of progesterone and explore the molecular mechanisms underlying its cytotoxic effects in the NCI-H295R cell line and primary cell cultures derived from ACC patients. METHODS Cell viability, cell cycle, and apoptosis were analyzed in untreated and progesterone-treated ACC cells. The ability of progesterone to affect the Wnt/β-catenin pathway in NCI-H295R cells was investigated by immunofluorescence. Progesterone and mitotane combination experiments were also performed to evaluate their interaction on NCI-H295R cell viability. RESULTS We demonstrated that progesterone exerted a concentration-dependent inhibition of ACC cell viability. Apoptosis was the main mechanism, as demonstrated by a significant increase of apoptosis and cleaved-Caspase-3 levels. Reduction of β-catenin nuclear translocation may contribute to the progesterone cytotoxic effect. The progesterone antineoplastic activity was synergically increased when mitotane was added to the cell culture medium. CONCLUSIONS Our results show that progesterone has antineoplastic activity in ACC cells. The synergistic cytotoxic activity of progesterone with mitotane provides the rationale for testing this combination in a clinical study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Fragni
- Section of Pharmacology, Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Chiara Fiorentini
- Section of Pharmacology, Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Elisa Rossini
- Section of Pharmacology, Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Simona Fisogni
- Pathology Unit, Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia and ASST Spedali Civili di Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Sara Vezzoli
- Section of Pharmacology, Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Sara A Bonini
- Section of Pharmacology, Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Cristina Dalmiglio
- Oncology Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences, and Public Health, University of Brescia and ASST Spedali Civili di Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Salvatore Grisanti
- Oncology Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences, and Public Health, University of Brescia and ASST Spedali Civili di Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Guido A M Tiberio
- Surgical Clinic, Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Brescia and ASST Spedali Civili di Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Melanie Claps
- Oncology Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences, and Public Health, University of Brescia and ASST Spedali Civili di Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Deborah Cosentini
- Oncology Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences, and Public Health, University of Brescia and ASST Spedali Civili di Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Valentina Salvi
- Section of Oncology and Experimental Immunology, Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Daniela Bosisio
- Section of Oncology and Experimental Immunology, Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Massimo Terzolo
- Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences University of Turin, Internal Medicine 1, San Luigi Gonzaga Hospital, Orbassano, Italy
| | - Cristina Missale
- Section of Pharmacology, Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Fabio Facchetti
- Pathology Unit, Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia and ASST Spedali Civili di Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Maurizio Memo
- Section of Pharmacology, Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Alfredo Berruti
- Oncology Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences, and Public Health, University of Brescia and ASST Spedali Civili di Brescia, Brescia, Italy.
| | - Sandra Sigala
- Section of Pharmacology, Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
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