Effects of α-adrenoreceptor antagonists on apoptosis and proliferation of pancreatic cancer cells in vitro

Figure 1 Expression of mRNA in adrenoceptors of human ductal pancreatic adenocarcinoma cell lines PC-2 and PC-3 by RT-PCR. Lanes 1-8 represent the α_1D-, α_1A-, α_2A-, α_2B-, α_2C-, α_1B-, β₁-, and β₂-adrenoceptor subtypes, respectively. Lane maker = 100 bp DNA ladder. PC-2 expressed mRNA in α_1D-, α_1A-, α_2A-, β₁-, and β₂-adrenoceptors and PC-3 expressed mRNA in α_2B-, β₁-, and β₂-adrenoceptors.

Figure 2 MTT assay shows that PC-2 cells treated with urapidil hydrochloride for 24 h could increase cellular proliferation in a concentration-dependent manner. Yohimbine inhibited the proliferation of PC-2 cells (A) and urapidil hydrochloride had no effect on PC-3 cell lines while the proliferation of PC-3 cell lines was inhibited by yohimbine (B).

Figure 3 TUNEL assay showing apoptotic PC-2 and PC-3 cells after treatment with 100 &mgr;mol/L urapidil hydrochloride and yohimbine for PC-2 cells and 100 &mgr;mol/L yohimibine and 100 &mgr;mol/L urapidil for PC-3 cells compared with control group.

Figure 4 Apoptotic PC-2 and PC-3 cells after treatment with 200 &mgr;mol/L urapidil hydrochloride (A) and 200 &mgr;mol/L yohimbine (B) for PC-2 cells and 200 &mgr;mol/L yohimibine for PC-3 cells (C) detected by FCM. Significant apoptosis was induced by yohimbine on both PC-2 and PC-3 cells, whereas urapidil hydrochloride had no apoptotic effect on PC-2 cell.