Figure 2.

Effects of NE and selective CBR antagonists on cell counts and proliferation of prostate carcinoma cells. (A) Examples of PC-3 cells treated with vehicle control (i), NE (10 μM) (ii), NE (10 μM) and SR141716A (SR-1, 500 nM) (iii), and NE (10 μM) and SR144528 (SR-2, 500 nM) (iv) at 37°C for 24 h. Then, the cells were stained with SimplyBlue SafeStain and counted. (B) Proliferation (thymidine incorporation assay) of PC-3, DU-145 and LNCaP cells treated with NE (1.0, 10 and 50 μM). Proliferation was normalized to the control cells (100%). Values are mean ± SEM (n = 12). *, significantly lower than the control cells with p < 0.05. (C) Proliferation (thymidine incorporation assay) of PC-3 cells treated with vehicle control, AM251 (0.01, 0.1, and 1.0 μM), SR141716A (5, 50, and 500 nM), and SR144528 (5, 50, and 500 nM). Proliferation was normalized to the control cells (100%). The results for DU-145 and LNCaP cells treated with AM251, SR141716A, and SR144528 are similar to PC-3 cells (data not shown). Values are mean ± SEM (n = 12). (D) Proliferation (thymidine incorporation assay) of PC-3 cells treated with vehicle control, NE (10 μM), NE (10 μM) and SR141716A (500 nM), NE (10 μM) and SR144528 (500 nM), and pretreatment with PTX (100 ng/mL) for 18 h and NE (10 μM). Proliferation was normalized to the control cells (100%). Values are mean ± SEM (n = 12). *, significantly lower than the control cells with p < 0.05. (E) Proliferation (thymidine incorporation assay) of PC-3 cells treated with vehicle control, NE (10 μM), GW9662 (10 μM), NE (10 μM) and GW9662 (1 μM = GW(1)), and NE (10 μM) and GW9662 (10 μM = GW(2)). Proliferation was normalized to the control cells (100%). Values are mean ± SEM (n = 6-12). *, significantly lower than the control cells with p < 0.05.