Methiothepin mesylate causes apoptosis of human prostate cancer cells by mediating oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction.

Prostate cancer is difficult to treat if it metastasizes to other organs. The development of prostate cancer independent of androgen is closely related to the action of neuroendocrine products. Serotonin promotes cell growth in various cancers, and antagonists for serotonin receptors are known to inhibit proliferation and induce cell death in various carcinomas. However, little is known about how antagonists for serotonin receptor function in prostate cancer. We verified apoptotic cell death in prostate cancer cell lines after treatment with methiothepin mesylate (MET), an antagonist for serotonin receptor 5-HT. MET induced hydrogen peroxide (HO) production and mitochondrial Ca overload. Moreover, MET induced changes in the expression of proteins associated with endoplasmic reticulum stress, autophagy, and mitochondrial membrane potential. MET also promoted phosphorylation of JNK, which induced cell death mediated by oxidant production, as evidenced by the JNK inhibitor and oxidant scavenger. Finally, MET has the potential to prevent metastasis by inhibiting the migration of prostate cancer cells. Thus, we show that MET is a potentially novel anticancer agent that can suppress the development of prostate cancer caused by neuroendocrine differentiation.