Effects of a red clover extract (MF11RCE) on endometrium and sex hormones in postmenopausal women.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of a non-prescription red clover extract (MF11 RCE, Melbrosin International, Vienna, Austria) on selected sex hormones and endometrium in postmenopausal women. PATIENTS AND METHODS: One-hundred and nine postmenopausal women with an age > or =40 years were randomly assigned to one of two groups either two capsules of MF11RCE (80mg isoflavone) per day for a 90 day period, or placebo of equal design. After a 7 day washout period, medication was crossed-over for another 90 days. RESULTS: Combined evaluation demonstrated that supplementation with MF11RCE (verum), in contrast to placebo, significantly increased plasma testosterone levels and decreased endometrial thickness. CONCLUSION: MF11RCE exerts a moderate effect on testosterone levels in postmenopausal women, while estradiol levels remained unchanged. The observed reduction of endometrial thickness provides further support for a safe role for isoflavones in terms of endometrial hyperplasia.

Response to sublethal heat treatment of prostatic tumor cells and of prostatic tumor infiltrating T-cells.

BACKGROUND: To investigate the possibilities offered by high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) in the field of tumor vaccination, we analyzed how prostatic cancer (CaP) cells react towards heat treatment and whether increased access to CaP cells by the immune system would be the result. METHODS: Heat/stress response of CaP cells in situ and of CaP cell lines was analyzed by immunohistochemistry, Western blotting, and Atlas array. A heat-induced change in immune recognition was analyzed functionally using human T-helper (Th)1 and Th2-cytokine release with tumor infiltrating T-lymphocytes (TIL) as responder and autologous CaP cells either heated or untreated as stimulator cells. RESULTS: Transcription of 68 out of 500 genes was upregulated by sublethal heat in LNCaP and PC3 cells. Significantly upregulated stress protein (SP) expression (HSP-72, -73, GRP-75, -78) was seen at the border zone of HIFU treatment. Remarkably, even untreated benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) specimens revealed relative overexpression of heat shock protein (HSP)-72, -73 and glucose regulated protein (GRP)-75, -78. Heated CaP cells increased Th1-cytokine (IL-2, IFN-gamma, TNF-alpha) release but decreased Th2-cytokine (IL-4, -5, -10) release of TIL. CONCLUSIONS: HIFU treatment may alter the presentation of prostate tissue and tumor antigens and this presentation is most likely stimulatory. HSP-72/73 overexpression in untreated BPH may suggest a mechanism by which BPH can incite inflammation.

Cytokine expression pattern in benign prostatic hyperplasia infiltrating T cells and impact of lymphocytic infiltration on cytokine mRNA profile in prostatic tissue.

The aim of the study is to characterize the type of immune response in benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) tissue. BPH tissue-derived T cells (n = 10) were isolated, activated (PMA + ionomycin), and analyzed for intracellular reactivity with anti-IFN-gamma and IL-2, -4, -5, -6, -10, and -13, as well as TNF-alpha and -beta by four-color flow cytometry. Lymphokine release was tested using Th1/Th2 cytokine bead arrays. The amount of IFN-gamma and IL-2, -4, -13, and TGF-beta mRNA expressed in normal prostate (n = 5) was compared with that in BPH tissue separated into segments with normal histology (n = 5), BPH histology with (n = 10) and without (n = 10) lymphocytic infiltration, and BPH nodules (n = 10). Expression of lymphokine receptors was analyzed by immunohistology, flow cytometry, and RT-PCR. We found that 28 +/- 18% of BPH T helper cells were IFN-gamma(+)/IL-4(-) Th1 cells, 10 +/- 2% were IFN-gamma(-)/IL-4(+) Th2, and 12 +/- 6% were IFN-gamma(+)/IL-4(+) Th0 cells. In relation, cytotoxic and double-negative BPH T lymphocytes showed a slight decrease in Th1 and Th0 in favor of Th2. In double-positive BPH T lymphocytes, the trend toward Th2 (35 +/- 15%) was significant (Th1: 12 +/- 7%; Th0: 5 +/- 4%). Lymphokine release upon stimulation was found in the case of IL-2, IL-5, IFN-gamma, and TNF-alpha > 4 microg; of IL-4 > 2 microg; and of IL-10 > 1 microg/ml. Expression of lymphokine mRNA in tissue was increased (2- to 10-fold) in infiltrated BPH specimens with and without BPH histology. The infiltrated BPH specimens with normal histology differed from those with BPH histology, most evident by the significant decrease in IFN-gamma and the increase in TGF-beta mRNA expression. Infiltrated BPH specimens with BPH histology expressed significantly more IFN-gamma (5-fold), IL-2 (10-fold), and IL-13 (2.8-fold) when compared with noninfiltrated BPH specimens. BPH nodules, however, showed the highest level of expression of IL-4 and IL-13, with only intermediate levels of IFN-gamma and very low levels of IL-2 mRNA. Immune response in histologically less transformed BPH specimens is primarily of type 1, whereas in chronically infiltrated nodular BPH and especially within BPH nodules, it is predominantly of type 0 or type 2.