| dc.description.abstract | Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in men, representing 15% of male cancer diagnosis and 8% of all cancer cases. Danshen (Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge) has been widely used in traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of coronary artery disease and cerebrovascular diseases with minimal side effects, and it has been found to inhibit cell growth, migration and invasion in prostate cancer. Recently, we selected a synthetic compound named compound 4, 5, 6, which has a chemical structure similar to native Danshen compounds. We hypothesized that compound 4, 5, 6, may have anti-cancer activity against prostate cancer. First, we observed that compound 4, 5, 6 reduced the cell number and cell viability in androgen-dependent (LNCaP-FGC) and androgen-independent (PC-3, DU145) human prostate cancer cells in in high doses and low doses over time. In addition, using BrdU cell proliferation assay and cell cycle analysis, it was found that compounds 4, 5, and 6 can affect the DNA synthesis capacity and G1 phase of prostate cancer cells. When signaling proteins were examined, we found that compound 4, 5, 6 suppressed phosphorylation of AKT in both LNCaP-FGC and PC-3 cells. These data suggest that compound 4, 5, 6 may inhibit prostate cancer cell growth through the AKT pathway. Moreover, we discovered that compound 4, 5, 6 suppressed the expression of androgen receptor (AR) protein in LNCaP-FGC cells and that the compound significantly suppressed the migration of PC-3 cells. In conclusions, compound 4, 5, 6 suppressed growth of androgen-dependent prostate cancer cells through the AR and AKT pathways, as well as inhibiting growth of androgen-independent prostate cancer cells through the AKT or cell cycle protein pathway. | en_US |