TITLE:
In-Vitro Effect of Steroids on Melanoma Cell Growth—A Prelude to Melanoma Treatment?
AUTHORS:
Pandurangan Ramaraj
KEYWORDS:
Steroids in Skin, Steroids Action on Melanoma Cells, Progesterone Treatment, Melanoma Cell Growth
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Cancer Therapy,
Vol.9 No.4,
April
27,
2018
ABSTRACT: Skin is not only a target organ for various sex
steroids and hormones, but also an endocrine organ, which produces sex
steroids. It has been suggested by Nikolakis et al. that impairment in skin steroidogenesis may result in inflammatory or
autoimmune or other skin disorders. Melanoma is one such skin disease or
disorder, which is believed to be caused by UV rays. But, epidemiological,
clinical, in-vivo and in-vitro studies suggested the
involvement of steroids in the regulation of melanoma growth. However, these
studies either did not identify the steroid involved or did not relate to the
protective function of the steroid in menstruating females in melanoma, as
reported by the clinical studies. In this context, our studies with mouse and
human melanoma cell lines showed that female sex steroid progesterone not only
inhibited melanoma cell growth, but also affected adhesion and migration
functions. In addition, our studies also showed that the effect of progesterone
was not a toxic or spurious, but a specific
effect on melanoma cells. Hence, our in-vitro studies along with previous other studies subscribed to the idea proposed
earlier by Slominski et al. that modulation of local steroids could be a new therapeutic approach for treatment of skin
disease or disorder, melanoma.