Ergosterol exerts a differential effect on AR-dependent LNCaP and AR-independent DU-145 cancer cells.

Androgen-dependent LNCaP and androgen-independent DU-145 cells, were treated with different concentrations of ergosterol (15 µM and 25 µM) and its respective cell viability was measured by MTT bioassay. While ergosterol showed an antiproliferative effect on LNCaP, on DU-145 promoted cell proliferation. This differential effect suggests that the effect of ergosterol might be related to its ability to act as an Androgen Receptor ligand.