Cytotoxic effects of the synthetic oestrogens and androgens on Balb/c 3T3 and HepG2 cells

Abstract

The aim of the study was to test and compare the cytotoxic potential of two synthetic oestrogens: diethylstilboestrol (DES) and ethinyloestradiol (EE2) and two androgens: testosterone propionate (TP) and trenbolone (TREN) on two cell lines. The fibroblast cell line Balb/c 3T3 and the hepatoma cell line HepG2 were selected. To get more insight into the mode of toxic action, four methods were used, which evaluated different biochemical endpoints: mitochondrial activity (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide reduction assay), lysosomal activity (neutral red uptake assay), total protein content, and lactate dehydrogenase release. Cytotoxicity was assessed after 24, 48, and 72 h exposure to eight concentrations ranging from 0.78 to 100 µg/mL. Concentration-and time-dependent effects were observed. Depending on the line and assay used, half maximal effective concentration after 72 h (EC50-72h) values ranged as follows: DES 1-13.7 µg/mL (Balb/c 3T3) and 3.7-5.2 µg/mL (HepG2); EE2 2.1-14.3 µg/mL (Balb/c 3T3) and 1.8-7.8 µg/mL (HepG2); TP-14.9-17.5 µg/mL (Balb/c 3T3), and 63.9-100 µg/mL (HepG2); and TREN 11.3-31.4 µg/mL (Balb/c 3T3) and 12.5-59.4 µg/mL (HepG2). The results revealed that oestrogens were more toxic than androgens and the most affected endpoint was mitochondrial activity. In contrast to oestrogens, for which EC50-72h values were similar in both lines and by all assays used, Balb/c 3T3 cells were more sensitive than HepG2 cells to TP.

microRNA-451 protects neurons against ischemia/reperfusion injury-induced cell death by targeting CELF2

“…Its release is often used as an indicator of cytotoxicity. 28 MDA is a byproduct of cell membrane lipid oxidation by ROS and a biomarker of oxidative stress of cells. 29 SOD is the main antioxidant enzyme in cells playing a role in scavenging oxygen-free radicals.…”

Chikusetsu saponin IVa protects pancreatic β cell against intermittent high glucose-induced injury by activating Wnt/β-catenin/TCF7L2 pathway

“…The cells exposed to SHG and IHG showed lower cell viability, higher apoptosis rate compared with NG group, which was accompanied by the caspase-dependent apoptosis. In living cells, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) is present in cytoplasm and released into the extracellular when it is damaged or death [29]. So, LDH leakage is always used as a biomarker for cellular cytotoxicity.…”

Silk Sericin-Polylactide Protein–Polymer Conjugates as Biodegradable Amphiphilic Materials and Their Application in Drug Release Systems

“…The electrophoretic pattern of SS commonly reveals a broad range of molecular weights because SS is a family of proteins with various molecular weights as reported in previous work. 8,15,32,33 As shown in Figure 2A The conformations of unmodified SS and both SS-PLA conjugate substances were investigated by circular dichroism spectroscopy (CD) (Figure 2B). For unmodified SS, the resulting spectra revealed strong and weak negative bands at 198 nm and nm, which were assigned to the random coil and β-sheet conformations, respectively.…”

“…The human liver carcinoma immortalized cell line (HepG2) was used to determine the in vitro cytotoxicity by the MTT assay. 15,41 The cells were exposed to a series of concentrations of SS-PLA nanoparticles (3.91 g mL -1 to 1 mg mL -1 ). As expected from the benign chemical composition of the SS-PLA conjugates, no loss of cell viability occurred, as shown in Figure 6A.…”

“…For example, amphiphilic micelles based on protein-polymer conjugates can improve the stability of hydrophobic antitumor drugs, reduce their toxicity in healthy tissues and prolong in vivo circulation time. [12][13][14][15] Moreover, such micelles have been designed to specifically target cancer cells. 16,17 To synthesize amphiphilic protein-polymer conjugates based on sericin, a hydrophobic synthetic polymer has to be covalently linked to the hydrophilic protein.…”