Estrogen regulation of tissue plasminogen activator in a human melanoma cell line

The influence of ethinylestradiol and the three natural estrogens, i.e. estrone, 17-beta-estradiol and estriol, was studied in a melanoma cell line producing a tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA). The cell cultures were exposed to the four estrogens by addition of the steroids dissolved in a weak alcoholic solution to the culture media, in which the released t-PA was assayed by an immunoradiometric method. Ethanol (0.76% w/v) stimulated the t-PA production, while no significant effect of the estrogens in the concentration of 1.7 X 10(-7) M was seen. By tenfold increase in estrogen concentration a highly significant reduction of t-PA levels was recorded in the cultures exposed to ethinylestradiol and 17-beta-estradiol. Estriol differed from these two estrogens in having rather weak inhibitory effect; whereas estrone in this concentration had toxic effect on melanoma cells. It was concluded that the present estrogens, in particular ethinylestradiol and 17-beta-estradiol, had a dose-dependent inhibitory effect on the production of t-PA in melanoma cell culture.