DETERMINATION OF S-ADENOSYLMETHIONINE AND S-ADENOSYLHOMOCYSTEINE IN TWO PROSTATIC ADENOCARCINOMA CELL LINES

Studies of processes leading to cancer tumour progression are one of the major foci of current cancer research. Therefore, it is important to shade the light on the metabolic pathways involved in cancerogenesis. In the present study we have chosen as a model two prostatic adenocarcinoma cell lines (PC-3 and LNCaP) for the comparison of the metabolites involved in tumour growth. Applying the HPLC-MS method, we determined and compared the concentration levels of S-(5'-adenosyl)-L-homocysteine (SAH) and S-(5'-adenosyl)-L-methionine (SAM), that are involved in the tumour growth processes. SAM/SAH ratio, a methylation index describing the aggressiveness of tumour cells, was determined here. The methylation index was 0.4 and 1.2 for PC-3 and LNCaP cells, respectively, pointing out that the PC-3 cells are more aggressive than LNCaP cells. This finding is of great importance for our following studies.