[Androgen receptors and effects of sex hormones on growth of a human ovarian carcinoma cell line].

Previous study had showed that ovarian carcinoma cell line (HO-8910 cells) contained estrogen receptors (ER) and progesterone receptors (PR). In this experiment, androgen receptors (AR) in these cells were determined by a whole cell binding assay with a synthetic nonmetabolizable androgen-methyltrienolone (3H-R1881). The results showed that there existed high affinity and low capacity, specific binding sites for 3H-R1881 in these cells, the apparent maximum binding capacity and dissociation constant of these binding sites revealed by scathchard analysis being 6.52 fmol/10(6) cells and 2.96 nmol/L respectively, indicating the presence of AR in addition to ER and PR in HO-8910 cells. Furthermore, the effects of sex hormones, i.e., estrodiol, progesterone and testosterone on the growth of HO-8910 cells were also investigated. The results showed that testosterone at 10 nmol/L slightly increased the number of HO-8910 cells, but the increase was not dose-dependent and not statistically significant. Estrodiol and progesterone had no growth-stimulatary or inhibitary effects on these cells.