Expression of androgen receptor in breast cancer cell lines and its effect on proliferation

Objective To evaluate the expression of androgen receptor (AR) in the breast cancer cell lines and its effect on proliferation of breast cancer cells. Methods The estrogen receptor (ER) -positive MCF-7 and ER-negative MDA-MB-453 cells were involved in this study and cultured in vitro. The expression of AR was detected by using Western blotting. Cell proliferation was determined by methyl thiazol tetrazolium (MTT) assay after the treatment with different concentrations of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) ( 1 x 10 -7, 1 x 10- 8, 1 x 10 -9 mol/L) for 48, 96 and 144 h respectively. Cell cycle was analyzed by flow cytometry following culture for 72 h. Results DHT increased the AR expression in the two breast cancer cell lines. AR pathway could inhibit proliferation of MCF-7 and MDA-MB-453 cells. There was no significant difference in absorbance values among three treatment groups at different time points (P ＞ 0. 05). Cell cycle analysis revealed that the proportion of cells at G1 phase was increased, and that at S phase decreased. Conclusion AR pathway may inhibit proliferation of ER-negative MDA-MB-453 breast cells as well as ER-positive MCF-7 cells, by suppressing the process of G1 to S phase progression. Key words: Androgen receptor; Breast carcinoma; Cell proliferation