Abstract:

 Objective   To explore the effects of raloxifene, a selective estrogen receptor antagonist, on proliferation and seladin-1 gene expression  in rat GHsecreting(GH3)cells. Methods   48h after raloxifene was added in a series of concentrations(0.1～1000nmol/L)to GH3 cells, the expression level of the seladin-1 gene was examined by quantitative real time RT-PCR and Western blot , and cell proliferation was investigated using the Cell Counting Kit-8. Results   With quantitative real time RT-PCR and Western blot, it was found that, with the drug within the 10-100nmol/L range, seladin-1 expression was significantly down-regulated  and cell proliferation was inhibited in a concentration-dependent manner (P<0.05). Conclusion   Raloxifene suppresses  seladin-1 expression and  GH3 cell proliferation and, hence, it holds the promise  of being used in treating pituitary adenoma. The seladin-1 gene may be a new target for gene therapy.

Key words: Raloxifene; Seladin-1; GH3 cells; Pituitary adenoma