Intracellular Progesterone Receptor Mediates the Increase in Glioblastoma Growth Induced by Progesterone in the Rat Brain

Background and Aims. Progesterone (P) is a steroid hormone involved in the development of several types of cancer including astrocytomas, the most common and malignant brain tumors. We undertook this study to investigate the effects of P on the growth and infiltration of a tumor caused by the xenotransplant of U87 cells derived from a human astrocytoma grade IV (glioblastoma) in the cerebral cortex of male rats and the participation of intracellular progesterone receptor (PR) on these effects. Methods. Eight weeks after the implantation of U87 cells in the cerebral cortex, we administered phosphorothioated antisense oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) to silence the expression of PR. This treatment lasted 15 days and was administered at the site of glioblastoma cells implantation using Alzet osmotic pumps. Vehicle (propylene glycol) or P-4 (400 mu g/100 g) was subcutaneously injected for 14 days starting 1 day after the beginning of ODN administration. Results. We observed that P significantly increased glioblastoma tumor area and infiltration length as compared with vehicle, whereas PR antisense ODNs blocked these effects. Conclusion. P, through the interaction with PR, increases the area and infiltration of a brain tumor formed from the xenotransplant of human glioblastoma-derived U87 cells in the cerebral cortex of the rat. (C) 2016 MSS. Published by Elsevier Inc.