Effect of a superovulation drug on the synthesis and release of CA 125 by ovarian cells in culture

Abstract Objective: Superovulation drugs increase the incidence of ovarian cancer. In this study, we investigated the effect of a menotropin on the synthesis and secretion of the ovarian tumor marker CA 125 by ovarian cells in culture. Methods: NIH-OVCAR-3 cells (ATCC, MD) were incubated in RPMI-1640 medium with 20% fetal bovine serum for different periods in the absence and presence of Humegon at different doses. CA 125 (U/mL) secreted into the medium at 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 days was measured by a radioimmunoassay kit. Immunoreactive CA 125 levels in the cells were determined by Western Blot studies. Results: Repeated-measures analysis of variance was used for the analysis of data, to compare means (mean ± SEM of 6 data points; ‘significantly‘ = P Conclusion: Humegon increased both the secretion and synthesis of the ovarian tumor marker CA 125 by ovarian cells in culture. It is not known whether the 30–40-fold increase of this tumor marker in the cells is transient or prognostic of any neoplastic change to occur later.