toremifene and Acquired-Immunodeficiency-Syndrome

Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) is the most common neoplastic apoptosis manifestation of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Toremifene is known to upregulate transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGF-beta1), which is a growth-inhibitory factor for KS. We investigated the in vitro effect of toremifene on KS cells.. MTT assay was used to measure the growth of four KS cell lines and a human umbilical vein endothelial (HUVE) cell line after incubation with toremifene. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and ELISA were used to measure the level of TGF-beta1.. The IC(50) for the KS cells ranged from 2.2 to 3.2 microM, and 80% of the growth inhibition occurred within 24 h. Toremifene enhanced TGF-beta1 mRNA expression, and the level of TGF-beta1 increased from 103 to 473 pg/ml after 48 h of incubation. Toremifene had no effect on the growth of HUVE cells.. Toremifene has a specific antiproliferative effect on KS cells. The stimulation of TGF-beta1 production may play a role in the antiproliferative process.

Topics: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome; Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal; Apoptosis; Cell Division; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Humans; Receptors, Estrogen; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; RNA, Messenger; Sarcoma, Kaposi; Time Factors; Toremifene; Transforming Growth Factor beta; Tumor Cells, Cultured