Effects of pheophorbide a-mediated photodynamic therapy on proliferation and metastasis of human prostate cancer cells
Authors: X-X Man
H-X Yao
L-Y Liu
Y-Y Tan
Journal: European review for medical and pharmacological sciences (2017)
Discipline: PHARMACOLOGY & TOXICOLOGY
Keywords: Pheophorbide a-mediated photodynamic therapy; PC-3 cells; proliferation; apoptosis; invasion
Affiliations: Department of Andrology, First Hospital of Jilin University, Jilin, China. .

Abstract:  Objective: To observe the effects of pheophorbide a-mediated photodynamic therapy (Pa-PDT) on the in vitro proliferation, apoptosis, invasion and metastasis of human prostate cancer PC-3 cells and to investigate its possible mechanism. Materials and methods: Pa-PDT in gradient concentrations (0 ŒºM, 0.25 ŒºM, 0.5 ŒºM, 1 ŒºM, 2 ŒºM, and 4 ŒºM) were used to act on PC-3 cells; the cell proliferation in each group was detected via methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay and clone formation assay, and the cell apoptosis was detected via Hochst33258 staining and Annexin V/propidium iodide (PI) double labeling. Moreover, the effects of Pa-PDT on invasion and proliferation of PC-3 cells were observed via wound healing assay and transwell chamber assay. Finally, the expressions of apoptosis-related proteins, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related proteins and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in each group were detected after treatment by Western blotting. Results: MTT and clone formation assays showed that Pa-PDT could inhibit the proliferation of PC-3 cells in a dose-dependent manner. The results of apoptosis assay revealed that Pa-PDT could significantly promote the apoptosis of PC-3 cells, obviously up-regulate the expressions of pro-apoptotic proteins, such as B-cell lymphoma-2-associated X protein (BAX), Caspase-3 and poly adenosine diphosphate-ribose polymerase (PARP), and inhibit the expression of Bcl-2. Besides, the wound healing assay and Transwell chamber assay showed that Pa-PDT could inhibit the invasion and metastasis capacities of PC-3 cells, whose relevant mechanisms were related to the fact that Pa-PDT inhibited the EMT process and down-regulated the expressions of MMPs in PC-3 cells. Conclusions: Pa-PDT can inhibit the proliferation and promote the apoptosis of PC-3 cells. Moreover, it can also inhibit the invasion and metastasis capacities of PC-3 cells via inhibiting the EMT process and down-regulating the expressions of MMPs. 

Retracted: No

PubPeer comments:
 Fig 2A.  Effects of Pa-PDT treatment on cell apoptosis of PC3 prostate cancer cells. (A, B) PC-3 cells were first treated with Pa-PDT (0 u03bcM 0.5 u03bcM, 1 u03bcM, 2 u03bcM, respectively), then the cells were continued to be cultured for 12 h. Cells were analyzed by Annexin V PI staining . The right-hand sides of the 1- and 2-microM panels have a curious striated appearance, which on close attention proves to result from repeated elements. I have marked two of these in the 2-microM panel and left the rest as an exercise.  UPDATE: A comparison with *[below]* Figure 5 from [Huang et al (2020)] .  Annexin V PI staining showing that the apoptotic HepG2 cell percentage increases with increase in the concentration of sulforaphane .  ,