RESEARCH NEWS: Dietary Supplements Benefit Prostate Health

Researchers at William Beaumont Hospital found the use of prostate-specific dietary supplements should be discouraged during radiotherapy owing to the preferential radiosensitization of normal prostate cells.

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Excerpt:

Prostate-Specific Natural Health Products (Dietary Supplements) Radiosensitize Normal Prostate Cells

Yasmin Hasan M.D.*, Diane Schoenherr B.S.*, Alvaro A. Martinez M.D.*, George D. Wilson Ph.D.* and Brian Marples Ph.D.*, Corresponding Author Contact Information, E-mail The Corresponding Author

Purpose

Prostate-specific health products (dietary supplements) are taken by cancer patients to alleviate the symptoms linked with poor prostate health. However, the effect of these agents on evidence-based radiotherapy practice is poorly understood. The present study aimed to determine whether dietary supplements radiosensitized normal prostate or prostate cancer cell lines.
Methods and Materials

Three well-known prostate-specific dietary supplements were purchased from commercial sources available to patients (Trinovin, Provelex, and Prostate Rx). The cells used in the study included normal prostate lines (RWPE-1 and PWR-1E), prostate tumor lines (PC3, DU145, and LNCaP), and a normal nonprostate line (HaCaT). Supplement toxicity was assessed using cell proliferation assays [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide] and cellular radiosensitivity using conventional clonogenic assays (0.5–4Gy). Cell cycle kinetics were assessed using the bromodeoxyuridine/propidium iodide pulse-labeling technique, apoptosis by scoring caspase-3 activation, and DNA repair by assessing γH2AX.

Results

The cell growth and radiosensitivity of the malignant PC3, DU145, and LNcaP cells were not affected by any of the dietary prostate supplements (Provelex [2μg/mL], Trinovin [10μg/mL], and Prostate Rx [50 μg/mL]). However, both Trinovin (10μg/mL) and Prostate Rx (6μg/mL) inhibited the growth rate of the normal prostate cell lines. Prostate Rx increased cellular radiosensitivity of RWPE-1 cells through the inhibition of DNA repair.

Conclusion

The use of prostate-specific dietary supplements should be discouraged during radiotherapy owing to the preferential radiosensitization of normal prostate cells.

SOURCE: International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics
Volume 76, Issue 3, 1 March 2010, Pages 896-904
doi:10.1016/j.ijrobp.2009.09.048