Endometrial carcinoma (EC) is one of the most common gynecological malignancy, which mostly occurs after menopause. Depending on the histological characteristics, EC has been divided into type 1 and type 2. Type 1 is usually low grade, hormone-receptor positive and associated with obesity and metabolic syndrome. Type 2 is associated with non-endometrioid histology, worse prognosis and it's usually hormone-receptor negative and more likely to metastasize.
Androgens are produced by the adrenal gland and gonads. The adrenal gland synthesizes low amounts of active androgens, mostly precursors that are converted into active androgens in peripheral tissues. Levels of classical androgens decline after menopause, but 11-oxyandrogens levels remains unchanged during the menopausal years.
It is well known that estrogens play pivotal role in the developement and progression of endometrial carcinoma. Estrogens promote cell proliferation, which leads to a greater chance of DNA replication errors. Excesssive exposure to estrogens and low progesterone levels are considered to increase the risk of EC. The impact of androgens on the formation and progression of endometrial cancer is not yet fully understood. Epidemiological evidences suggegest that there is increased risk of EC associated with elevated concentrations of androgens in women bloodstream. Studies on cell lines have shown that AR-dependent signalling inhibits cell proliferation and that androgens could play a protective role in the development and progression of EC.
The aim of the master thesis is to study the metabolism of androgens in endometrial cancer model cell lines and a control cell line. Cell lines were treated with different androgens, which represent precursors in the synthesis of active classical and 11-oxyandrogens. Metabolites were extracted by solid-liquid or liquid-liquid extraction and then detected by liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).
Based on the results, we found differences in metabolism between model cell lines. The most metabolically active cell lines were RL95-2 and Ishikawa. From our research we concluded that in the endometrial cancer model cell lines active androgens can be formed from the precursors such as dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), androstendione (A4), 11-hydroxyandrostendione (11OHA4) and 11-ketoandrostendione (11KA4).
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