Effects of dexamethasone on glucocorticoid receptor-α expression in human amniotic epithelial cells

Objective To observe the effects of dexamethasone on glucocorticoid receptor-α(GR-α) expression in the human amniotic epithelial cells,WISH cells.Methods The WISH cells were cultured in vitro with different concentrations of dexamethasone(10-8,10-7,10-6,10-5,10-4mol/L) for 48 h(group A) and a single concentration of dexamethasone(10-6mol/L) for different times of 24,48,and 72 h respectively.The results were compared to the blank control groups.The GR-α mRNA expressions in WISH cells were detected with RT-PCR.Results The expression of GR-α mRNA of WISH cells treated with 10-4mol/L DEX was higher than that of control group,which was loweer in those treated with the other concentration groups.The expression of GR-α mRNA was siginificantly lower in the cells treated with different times than that in those of blank controls(P0.01).Conclusion The expression of GR-α mRNA is decreased when treated with low concentration of dexamethason(≤10-6mol/L),which is increased when treated with high concentration of it(≥10-5mol/L).The decrease of GR-α mRNA expression is not reduced as the treating time prolongs.The clinical dose of dexamethasone for promoting lung paturity of the fetus could not lead to the onset of delivery.