OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of prostate stromal cells from different zones of normal prostate tissue on the growth of prostate cancer cells and their action mechanisms.

METHODSWe extracted stromal cells in the fresh normal prostatic tissue derived from the peripheral zone (PZ) or transitional zone (TZ), amplified them in vitro, and used the supernatants of the cells as conditioned media to culture hormone-resistant prostate cancer DU145 cells. We measured the growth curve of the tumor cells using the CCK8 method, determined the number and viability of the cells by trypan blue staining, evaluated their invasiveness by scratch test, and detected the effects of the stromal cells on the key enzymes in the glycolysis of the tumor cells by Western blot.

RESULTSThe conditioned medium with the PZ-derived stromal cells promoted, while that with the TZ-derived stromal cells inhibited the growth of the tumor cells. The former significantly increased, while the latter markedly decreased the expressions of the key enzymes hexokinase 2 (HK-2), pyruvate kinase 2 (PKM-2), lactate dehydrogenase (LDHA), and pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) in the glycolysis of the tumor cells.

CONCLUSIONProstate stromal cells from different zones exert different influences on the growth of tumor cells, which may be associated with their different effects on the glycolysis of tumor cells.