High Levels of Cyclooxygenase-2 Expression are Associated with Prostate Cancer

Introduction: Laboratory studies have demonstrated that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as Aspirin to be chemopreventative. The mechanism of action is not fully understood. One theory that has gained attention from colorectal cancer pathogenesis is the inhibition of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression. COX-2 is up-regulated in most cancers including those from lung, pancreas and head & neck. Similar research is lacking in prostate cancer where COX-2 expression is not ubiquitous. Aim: Determine whether prostate cancer cell lines express COX-2. Method: Three prostate cell lines; PNT2 (normal prostate), DU145 (prostatic brain metastasis), PC3 (prostatic bone metastasis) were utilised. The expression of COX-2 was evaluated using reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Caco2 (colorectal adenocarcinoma) cell line was used as positive control as it is well established that they express COX-2. Result: COX-2 was found to be highly expressed in prostate cancer (PC-3 and DU-145) cell lines. Interestingly, we also observed COX-2 expression in normal prostate (PNT2) cell line, however, higher expression was observed in prostatic cancer cell lines. Conclusion The observation from our study provides evidence that prostate cancer cell express high level of COX-2. Further studies are needed to evaluate the role of aspirin on prostate cancer cells