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. 2001 Aug 28;98(18):10350-5.
doi: 10.1073/pnas.171326098. Epub 2001 Aug 14.

Inhibition of prostate carcinogenesis in TRAMP mice by oral infusion of green tea polyphenols

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Inhibition of prostate carcinogenesis in TRAMP mice by oral infusion of green tea polyphenols

S Gupta et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. .

Abstract

Development of effective chemopreventive agents against prostate cancer (CaP) for humans requires conclusive evidence of their efficacy in animal models that closely emulates human disease. The autochthonous transgenic adenocarcinoma of the mouse prostate (TRAMP) model, which spontaneously develops metastatic CaP, is one such model that mimics progressive forms of human disease. Employing male TRAMP mice, we show that oral infusion of a polyphenolic fraction isolated from green tea (GTP) at a human achievable dose (equivalent to six cups of green tea per day) significantly inhibits CaP development and increases survival in these mice. In two separate experiments, the cumulative incidence of palpable tumors at 32 weeks of age in 20 untreated mice was 100% (20 of 20). In these mice, 95% (19 of 20), 65% (13 of 20), 40% (8 of 20), and 25% (5 of 20) of the animals exhibited distant site metastases to lymph nodes, lungs, liver, and bone, respectively. However, 0.1% GTP (wt/vol) provided as the sole source of drinking fluid to TRAMP mice from 8 to 32 weeks of age resulted in (i) significant delay in primary tumor incidence and tumor burden as assessed sequentially by MRI, (ii) significant decrease in prostate (64%) and genitourinary (GU) (72%) weight, (iii) significant inhibition in serum insulin-like growth factor-I and restoration of insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 levels, and (iv) marked reduction in the protein expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) in the prostate compared with water-fed TRAMP mice. The striking observation of this study was that GTP infusion resulted in almost complete inhibition of distant site metastases. Furthermore, GTP consumption caused significant apoptosis of CaP cells, which possibly resulted in reduced dissemination of cancer cells, thereby causing inhibition of prostate cancer development, progression, and metastasis of CaP to distant organ sites.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Effect of GTP infusion on prostate cancer development in TRAMP mice evaluated by longitudinal MRI analysis. (A) MRI was used to assess the growth of primary tumor in TRAMP mice followed longitudinally in individual animal. Details are described in Materials and Methods. A marked reduction in prostate development was observed in these mice after 0.1% (wt/vol) GTP infusion between 8 to 32 weeks. Representative images of nontransgenic (panels a and b) and water-fed (c and d) TRAMP mice and GTP-infused TRAMP mice (e and f) are shown here at 20 (a, c, and e) and 30 (b, d, and f) weeks of age. Arrows indicate prostate. (B) Volumetric analysis of the TRAMP mice prostate after GTP infusion. The data are represented as percent change in relative pixel density observed at 20 and 30 weeks of age where nontransgenic mice prostate is taken as control. Values represent mean ± SE of five animals. *, P < 0.001 compared with TRAMP water-fed mice.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Effect of GTP infusion on serum levels of IGF-I (A) and IGFBP-3 (B) in TRAMP mice. Eight-week-old TRAMP mice were infused with 0.1% GTP (wt/vol) as sole source of drinking fluid for 24 weeks. Blood was withdrawn at 8, 16, and 24 weeks after GTP infusion, and serum IGF-I and IGFBP-3 levels were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunoabsorbant assay. Details are described in Materials and Methods. A marked inhibition in serum IGF-I and restoration in serum IGFBP-3 levels were observed after GTP infusion. Values represent mean ± SE of 10 animals. *, P < 0.001 compared with TRAMP water-fed mice.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Effect of GTP infusion on GU apparatus and prostate histology in TRAMP mice. (A) Photograph of typical GU apparatus of TRAMP mice exhibiting hyperproliferation. (B) GU apparatus of TRAMP mice with 0.1% GTP infusion (wt/vol) for 24 weeks. A marked decrease in GU weight and volume was observed in TRAMP mice after GTP infusion. (C) Histologic examination of a typical TRAMP mouse prostate at 32 weeks of age revealed moderately differentiated neoplastic cells with extensive cribriform structures, marked thickening, remodeling, and hypercellularity of the fibromuscular stroma. (Magnification, ×40.) (D) GTP infusion (0.1%, wt/vol) to TRAMP mice resulted in a marked reduction in epithelial stratification and cribriform structures, and the glands remained simple without epithelial thickening or surface complexity. (Magnification, ×40.) Representative figures are shown.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Effect of GTP infusion on the protein expressions of PCNA in the TRAMP mice prostate. (A) Protein expression of PCNA by Western blot. (B) Immunohistochemical analysis is shown. In water-fed TRAMP mice, an extensive PCNA staining was observed in the nuclei. GTP infusion (0.1%, wt/vol) resulted in the marked reduction in the protein expression of PCNA in these mice. Equal loading of the protein in the lanes was confirmed by stripping the membrane and reprobing it with β-actin. Details are described in Materials and Methods.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Effect of GTP infusion on the extent of apoptosis in the TRAMP mice prostate. (A) Apoptosis was determined by cell-death ELISAPLUS as per vendor's protocol. Data are expressed as Enrichment factor. Values represent mean ± SE of 10 animals. *, P < 0.0001 compared with water-fed TRAMP mice. (B) Immunofluorescence detection of prostate tissue in water-fed and GTP-infused TRAMP mice by M30 CytoDEATH antibody that binds to caspase-cleaved epitope of the cytokeratin 18 cytoskeletal protein, a marker of apoptosis. A marked increase in M30 fluorescence was observed after 0.1% GTP infusion (wt/vol), compared with water-fed TRAMP mice. A representative figure from each group at ×80 magnification is shown. Details are described in Materials and Methods.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Effect of GTP infusion on tumor-free survival (A) and survival probability (B) in TRAMP mice. A significant increase in tumor-free survival (P < 0.001, log-rank test) and survival probability (P < 0.001, log-rank test) in GTP-infused TRAMP mice was observed.

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