Reactive oxygen species co-operated with sex hormones inhibit proliferation of Hepa1-6 cells

Abstract

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and sex hormones affect the proliferation of cells and are believed to play important roles in tumorigenesis. However, little is known regarding how these two factors interact to affect cell proliferation. In this study, hepa1-6 cells were treated with ROS and sex hormones (testosterone and steroidal) either separately or in combination. The sex hormones had no significant influence the cell proliferation up to a concentration of 1 μM. However, cell proliferation was inhibited when the cells were treated simultaneously with H2O2, which alone was found to promote cell proliferation at the concentrations of 15 μM. In conclusion, this study indicates that instead of promoting the cell proliferation, ROS interact with sex hormones to inhibit the Hepa1-6 cell proliferation.