BioCentury
ARTICLE | Distillery Therapeutics

Cancer

February 28, 2018 6:12 PM UTC

Cell culture studies suggest inhibition or inverse agonism of NR5A2 could help treat prostate cancer. In a human prostate cancer line expressing high levels of NR5A2 cultured in androgen-deprived bovine serum, siRNA targeting NR5A2 alone or in combination with CYP17A1 inhibitor Zytiga abiraterone acetate decreased viability compared with scrambled siRNA alone in combination with Zytiga. Also in the cell line, a tool compound NR5A2 inverse agonist decreased viability compared with no treatment. In the cell line, siRNA targeting NR5A2 or the inverse agonist of NR5A2 decreased expression of CYP17A1 and other genes encoding steroidogenic enzymes involved in androgen biosynthesis compared with scrambled siRNA or no treatment, respectively. Next steps could include testing the NR5A2 inverse agonist in mouse models of prostate cancer...