# Effect of Inorganic Phosphorus Manipulation on the Growth and Progression of Prostate Cancer Cells In Vitro

## TL;DR

This study shows that high levels of inorganic phosphorus can promote cancer cell changes linked to tumor progression in prostate cancer cells.

## Contribution

The study demonstrates that elevated inorganic phosphorus directly promotes epithelial-mesenchymal transition in prostate cancer cells.

## Key findings

- Supraphysiological sodium phosphate reduced prostate cancer cell proliferation.
- Elevated phosphate levels increased vimentin expression, a marker of epithelial-mesenchymal transition.
- Phosphate-induced changes suggest a direct role in prostate cancer progression.

## Abstract

Epidemiological studies have linked higher serum and dietary phosphorus to an increased risk of prostate cancer (PC) and its lethal state. However, these findings do not distinguish between the impact of inorganic phosphorus (Pi) per se and the impacts of its homoeostatic regulators. Thus, this study aimed to determine the in vitro tumorigenic effects of elevated Pi concentrations per se on androgen-dependent epithelial-like PLum-AD murine PC cells at molecular and cellular levels. Physiologically attainable elevated levels and supraphysiological levels of sodium (NaPi) and potassium phosphate (KPi) were used to assess PLum-AD cell proliferation, viability, migration, and epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) marker expression, which were determined by the thiazolyl blue tetrazolium bromide cell assay, trypan blue exclusion assay, wound healing assay, and immunofluorescence staining, respectively. Treatment of Plum-AD cells with supraphysiological levels of NaPi (20 mM) significantly reduced cell proliferation, whereas KPi did not, suggesting a potential sodium-dependent Pi uptake mechanism. Furthermore, physiologically relevant elevated concentrations of NaPi (3 mM) and KPi (1 and 3 mM) increased the relative vimentin expression of PLum-AD PC cells, a biomarker of EMT. Our findings suggest that elevated Pi levels per se, in the hyperphosphatemia range, can directly promote EMT in PC, highlighting the potential role of Pi in tumor progression.