Testosterone augments polyphenol-induced DNA damage response in prostate cancer cell line, LNCaP

Recently, we reported that combined ingestion of soy isoflavones and curcumin significantly decreased the serum level of prostate-specific antigen based on a randomized placebo-controlled double-blind clinical study. We investigated whether these polyphenols inhibited the proliferation of prostate cancer cells by activating a DNA damage response. The effects of isoflavones and curcumin on the expression and phosphorylation of ataxia-telangiectasia-mutated kinase (ATM), histone H2AX variant (H2AX) and checkpoint kinase2 (Chk2) were examined in LNCaP cells. The induction of apoptosis in LNCaP cells was evaluated by poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) cleavage. Furthermore, the effects of a testosterone supplement on modulation of the DNA damage response were examined. Combined treatment of isoflavones and curcumin additively suppressed cellular proliferation and induced phosphorylation of ATM, histone H2AX, Chk2 and p53. Testosterone augmented the activation of the DNA damage response and PARP cleavage induced by curcumin. Our results indicate that activation of the DNA damage response by polyphenols might suppress the malignant transformation of prostate cancer. In addition, testosterone, when combined with curcumin, may have suppressive effects on the progression of prostate cancer.