Abstract
Calcitriol, the hormonally active form of vitamin D, exerts multiple anti-proliferative and pro-differentiating actions including cell cycle arrest and induction of apoptosis in many malignant cells, and the hormone is currently being evaluated in clinical trials as an anti-cancer agent. Recent research reveals that calcitriol also exhibits multiple anti-inflammatory effects. First, calcitriol inhibits the synthesis and biological actions of pro-inflammatory prostaglandins (PGs) by three mechanisms: i) suppression of the expression of cyclooxygenase-2, the enzyme that synthesizes PGs; ii) up-regulation of the expression of 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase, the enzyme that inactivates PGs; and iii) down-regulation of the expression of PG receptors that are essential for PG signaling. The combination of calcitriol and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs results in a synergistic inhibition of the growth of prostate cancer (PCa) cells and offers a potential therapeutic strategy for PCa. Second, calcitriol increases the expression of mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatase 5 in prostate cells resulting in the subsequent inhibition of p38 stress kinase signaling and the attenuation of the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Third, calcitriol also exerts anti-inflammatory activity in PCa through the inhibition of nuclear factor-kappaB signaling that results in potent anti-inflammatory and anti-angiogenic effects. Other important direct effects of calcitriol as well as the consequences of its anti-inflammatory effects include the inhibition of tumor angiogenesis, invasion, and metastasis. We hypothesize that these anti-inflammatory actions, in addition to the other known anti-cancer effects of calcitriol, play an important role in its potential use as a therapeutic agent for PCa. Calcitriol or its analogs may have utility as chemopreventive agents and should be evaluated in clinical trials in PCa patients with early or precancerous disease.
Publication types
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Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
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Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
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Review
MeSH terms
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Adenocarcinoma / drug therapy*
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Adenocarcinoma / etiology
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Adenocarcinoma / metabolism
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Adenocarcinoma / pathology
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Adenocarcinoma / prevention & control*
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Angiogenesis Inhibitors / pharmacology
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Angiogenesis Inhibitors / therapeutic use
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Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / pharmacology*
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Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / therapeutic use
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Anticarcinogenic Agents / pharmacology*
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Anticarcinogenic Agents / therapeutic use
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Antineoplastic Agents / pharmacology*
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Antineoplastic Agents / therapeutic use
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Apoptosis / drug effects
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Calcitriol / pharmacology*
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Calcitriol / therapeutic use
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Cell Line, Tumor / drug effects
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Clinical Trials as Topic
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Cyclooxygenase 2 / biosynthesis
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Cyclooxygenase 2 / genetics
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Cyclooxygenase 2 Inhibitors / pharmacology
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Cyclooxygenase 2 Inhibitors / therapeutic use
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Dual-Specificity Phosphatases / biosynthesis
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Dual-Specificity Phosphatases / genetics
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Enzyme Induction / drug effects
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Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic / drug effects
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Humans
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Hydroxyprostaglandin Dehydrogenases / biosynthesis
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Hydroxyprostaglandin Dehydrogenases / genetics
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Male
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Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Phosphatases / biosynthesis
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Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Phosphatases / genetics
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NF-kappa B / antagonists & inhibitors
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Neoplasm Proteins / antagonists & inhibitors
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Neoplasm Proteins / biosynthesis
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Neoplasm Proteins / genetics
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Prostaglandins / metabolism
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Prostatic Neoplasms / drug therapy*
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Prostatic Neoplasms / etiology
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Prostatic Neoplasms / metabolism
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Prostatic Neoplasms / pathology
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Prostatic Neoplasms / prevention & control*
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Prostatitis / complications
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Prostatitis / drug therapy
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Receptors, Prostaglandin / biosynthesis
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Receptors, Prostaglandin / genetics
Substances
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Angiogenesis Inhibitors
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Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal
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Anticarcinogenic Agents
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Antineoplastic Agents
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Cyclooxygenase 2 Inhibitors
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NF-kappa B
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Neoplasm Proteins
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Prostaglandins
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Receptors, Prostaglandin
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Hydroxyprostaglandin Dehydrogenases
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15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase
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Cyclooxygenase 2
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PTGS2 protein, human
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DUSP10 protein, human
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Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Phosphatases
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Dual-Specificity Phosphatases
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Calcitriol