Comparison of Estrogen and/or Progesterone on the Oxidative Status in Different Female Cancer Cells

Background: Oxidative stress has a key role in the development of most types of cancers. Among all the conditions which affect the antioxidant defenses, the effect of using oral contraception pills (OCP) or sex hormone therapy in women during menopause is still an unsolved issue. Objectives: In the present study, the effect of estrogen (EST) alone, progesterone (PRO) alone and EST+PRO together on oxidative status in HeLa, MCF-7 and OVCAR-3 cell lines was investigated. Methods: HeLa, MCF- 7 and OVCAR-3 cell lines were treated with 1μM of EST, PRO and EST+PRO confirmed by MTT and used for 24 hour treatment. Then, catalase (CAT), glutathione (GSH), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), glutathione reductase (GR) activities and Malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were assayed in the cell lysate. Results: The results of the present study indicated that EST, PRO, and their combination were strongly able to increase the antioxidant enzymes activity compared with controls and significantly decreased the MDA levels in all three cell lines. Conclusion: The data suggest that female sex hormones and OCPs might exert antioxidant effects in different cancerous organs.