Prevent prostate cancer with antioxidants? Gene pathway may reveal ...( s in the oxidative response pathway occ...),Health

For the study, the researchers used a sophisticated computer technique called gene expression profiling to compare in-depth the genetic makeup of mice whose Nkx3.1 gene was disrupted with that of normal mice. The method takes all DNA from the cells and allows scientists to look for aberrations. DeWeese likens it to studying thousands of pages of an encyclopedia simultaneously; trying to identify what pages may have been altered.

They observed that mice with malfunctioning Nkx3.1 incorrectly expressed 638 genes, including those that created a significant reduction in some antioxidant enzymes vital to oxidative damage prevention. These alterations occurred in mice as early as four months of age - well before cellular changes are visible in the mouse prostate. The mutant mice also displayed a fivefold increase in the amount of cancer-related DNA damage, called 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine.

Further investigation showed that the progression to prostate cancer as it occurs in mice lacking Nkx3.1 and another tumor suppressor, Pten, correlated with additional deregulation of antioxidants and more profound accumulations of oxidative damage to DNA and protein.

"Mice with defective Nkx3.1 provide a valuable tool for preclinical studies to test whether antioxidants might be useful for prostate cancer prevention," Abate-Shen says and continuing studies will test antioxidants or other agents on the altered mice.

Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men and ranks second to lung cancer as the leading cause of cancer death among American men. More than 232,000 cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed and treated annually in the United States, and close to 30,000 men die each year of the disease. Most men over the age of 50 will have s
'"/>


15-Sep-2005