Antitumor action of α(1)-adrenoceptor blockers on human bladder, prostate and renal cancer cells

The present study investigated the antitumor action of α(1)-adrenoceptor blockers on human bladder, prostate and renal cancer cells. For bladder cancer cell lines used here such as 253J, 5637, KK-47, T24 and UM-UC-3 cells, prazosin, a selective α(1)-adrenoceptor blocker, reduced cell viability at concentrations more than 30 µmol/l. Likewise, naftopidil, a blocker of α(1A)- and α(1D)-adrenoceptors, reduced cell viability for all the bladder cancer cells used here in a concentration (10-100 µmol/l)-dependent manner, with a much greater advantage than prazosin. Naftopidil also reduced cell viability for human prostate cancer cell lines such as DU145, LNCap and PC-3 cells and ACHN human renal cancer cells, with a much higher potential than prazosin. Thus, the results of the present study suggest that naftopidil could be a beneficial antitumor drug for the treatment of urological cancers.