Kisspeptin, the product of the KiSS-1 gene, inhibits metastasis and stimulates the hypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal axis. Kisspeptin is therefore a putative target in the treatment of hormone-sensitive malignancies. Prostatic carcinoma remains a significant cause of mortality despite improvements in therapy. The role of kisspeptin in prostatic carcinoma remains undefined. We therefore aimed to investigate release of kisspeptin by prostatic cancer cell lines; investigate expression of KiSS-1 in human prostate tissue; investigate whether patients with prostate carcinoma have elevated plasma kisspeptin. 1) Culture medium from prostatic carcinoma cell lines LNCaP, DU145 and PC3 was assayed for kisspeptin immunoreactivity (-IR). Kisspeptin-IR release was detectable from all three cell lines. The effect of hydroxyflutamide, gefitinib and resveratrol on kisspeptin-IR release from these cell lines was also investigated. No effect of the drugs tested on release of kisspeptin-IR was observed. 2) Expression of KiSS-1 in human prostate tissue (n=4) was investigated using in situ hybridisation. Expression of KiSS-1 was detected in human prostate tissue. 3) Plasma kisspeptin-IR was compared in 92 patients with prostatic carcinoma and 73 male controls. Kisspeptin-IR was not detected in the plasma of either patients with prostate cancer or control patients. We have therefore shown for the first time the release of kisspeptin-IR by prostatic carcinoma cell lines. We have also shown that KiSS-1 is expressed in human prostate tissue, and that circulating levels of kisspeptin-IR are not elevated in patients with prostatic carcinoma. Further work is required to determine the role of kisspeptin in the prostate.

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