GENISTEIN INHIBITS THE GROWTH OF HUMAN-PATIENT BPH AND PROSTATE-CANCER IN HISTOCULTURE

BACKGROUND. There is strong epidemiological evidence that prostate dis ease is significantly less prevalent in the Orient, where the intake o f soy products is very high, than in the United States. We therefore u ndertook a study of the effects of genistein, a major component of soy , on growth of human-patient benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) and pr ostate cancer tissue in three-dimensional collagen gel-supported histo culture. METHODS. Surgical specimens of human BPH and cancer were hist ocultured for 5 days to study the effects of genistein on growth, as m easured by inhibition of H-3-thymidine incorporation per mu g protein on day 5. RESULTS. Genistein in doses of 1.25-10 mu g/ml decreased the growth of BPH tissue in histoculture in a dose-dependent manner, with little additional effect at higher doses. Prostate cancer tissue in h istoculture was similarly inhibited by these doses of genistein. CONCL USIONS. Genistein decreases the growth of both BPH and prostate cancer tissue in histoculture. The data suggest that genistein has potential as a therapeutic agent for BPH and prostate cancer. (C) 1998 Wiley-Li ss, Inc.