In-Vitro Effect of Sex Steroids on Mouse Melanoma (B16F10) Cell Growth

A decade ago, a study was conducted to examine the impact of sex steroids on the growth of mouse melanoma cells. The researchers tested various sex steroids, including dehydroepiandrosterone, androstenedione, testosterone, progesterone, and estrogen. The results indicated that all the steroids tested had a dose-dependent inhibitory effect on melanoma cell growth, with progesterone showing the most significant inhibition (87% at 200 μM concentration). Further tests with progesterone, estrogen, and progesterone receptor antagonist RU-486 confirmed these findings. The study also found that the action of progesterone was not mediated through the progesterone receptor. The researchers concluded that future research should focus on progesterone and RU-486 separately to determine the mechanism of inhibition of cell growth.