Resveratrol and other polyphenols have anti-carcinogenic and anti-tumorigenic activities in various carcinomas. However, such studies are limited in endometrial cancer. We hypothesize that resveratrol suppresses cancer growth through modulation of cell cycle and cell growth regulatory genes. To test this hypothesis, we treated endometrial cancer cells (Ishikawa cell line) with resveratrol (1, 10, 50 and 100 µM) for 1, 3, 5 and 7 days, and analyzed for growth signal genes (EGF and VEGF), cell cycle regulatory genes (p53 and p21), and apoptosis-related genes (bcl-2 and bax). Results of these experiments demonstrate that after resveratrol treatment, the growth of Ishikawa cells was inhibited in a dose dependent manner. The gene and protein expression data suggest that resveratrol treatment significantly decreased EGF, whereas VEGF was up-regulated in Ishiwaka cell lines. Interestingly, protein expressions of p21 and Bax were decreased, even though their mRNA expressions did not show significant changes. The present study suggests that resveratrol can suppress proliferation of Ishikawa cells through down-regulation of EGF.

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