Macelignan: a new modulator of P-glycoprotein in multidrug-resistant cancer cells.

The effect of macelignan, a phytoestrogen, on P-gp function was investigated using multidrug resistant cancer cells overexpressing P-gp (NCI/ADR-RES) and the fluorescent P-gp substrates, daunorubicin and rhodamine 123. Macelignan (40 microM) increased the cellular accumulation of daunorubicin by approximately threefold in NCI/ADR-RES cells, whereas it did not alter the cellular accumulation of daunorubicin in MCF-7/sensitive cells. Similarly, the presence of macelignan also enhanced significantly (P < 0.05) the cellular accumulation of rhodamine 123 in a concentration-dependent manner in NCI/ADR-RES cells. Furthermore, cancer cells were more susceptible to the cytotoxicity of vinblastine, a P-gp substrate, in the presence of macelignan. Those results suggest that macelignan has inhibitory effects on P-gp mediated cellular efflux. However, P-gp activity did not affect the cellular accumulation of macelignan itself. Taken all together, macelignan was identified as a novel inhibitor of P-gp activity and may be a promising lead compound for the rational design of more efficacious drugs to reverse multidrug resistance in cancer.

Effect of liposomal delivery on in vitro antitumor activity of lipophilic conjugates of methotrexate with lipoamino acids.

Some selected lipophilic conjugates of the antifolate drug methotrexate (MTX) with lipoamino acids (LAA), previously described, were incorporated in liposomes with a different composition and charge (neutral, positive, or negative). The properties of the liposomal systems were determined. The inhibitory activity of the conjugates after incorporation in the vesicles was determined in a preliminary assessment against a human erythroleukemic cell line (K562 cells) and compared with the activity of the parent drug and of free conjugates. The influence of liposome surface charge and of the type of conjugate (i.e., in the carboxylic or ester form) on the biological effect is discussed.

Milk fat conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) inhibits growth of human mammary MCF-7 cancer cells.

The relationship between growth and the antioxidant enzyme defence system in human MCF-7 (breast) cancer cells treated with bovine milk fat enriched with conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) was studied. Milk enriched in CLA was obtained from cows on pasture supplemented with full fat rapeseeds and full fat soyabeans (1). Cell number decreased up to 90% (p < 0.05) and lipid peroxidation increased 15-fold (p < 0.05) following incubation of MCF-7 cells for 8 days with increasing levels of milk fat yielding CLA concentrations between 16.9 and 22.6 ppm. Growth suppression and prooxidant effects of milk fat CLA were independent of the variable composition of the milk fat samples, suggesting that CLA was the active ingredient in milk fat responsible for the cytotoxic effect. Mixtures containing isomers of CLA (c9, t11-, t10, c12-, c11, t13- and minor amounts of other isomers) and linoleic acid (LA) at similar concentrations to the milk fat samples were as effective at inhibiting growth and stimulating peroxidation of MCF-7 cells as the milk fatty acids. Incubation of the cells with the c9, t11 CLA isomer (20 ppm) or the mixture of CLA isomers (20 ppm) for 8 days resulted in a 60% decrease (p < 0.05) in viability compared with untreated controls and was significantly (p < 0.05) more effective than incubation with the t10, c12 CLA isomer (20 ppm), which caused only a 15% decrease in cell numbers under similar conditions. A 25% increase (p < 0.05) in cell proliferation occurred when LA (20 ppm) alone was incubated with MCF-7 cells for 8 days. 14C-CLA was preferentially incorporated into the phospholipid fraction of the MCF-7 cell lipids in a dose-dependent manner and CLA accumulated in cell membranes more efficiently when the cells were incubated in the presence of milk fat than the c9, t11 synthetic CLA isomer. Superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities were induced in MCF-7 cells exposed to milk fat (containing 16.9-22.6 ppm CLA) over 8 days. The data indicate that milk fat triglyceride-bound CLA, consisting primarily of the c9, t11 isomer, was cytotoxic towards MCF-7 cells.

Effect of arsenic trioxide on metallothionein and its conversion to different arsenic metabolites in hen liver.

The metabolism of arsenic, its affinity to metallothionein (MT), its influence on selenium levels, and its biotransformation to different metabolites in the liver tissue of laying hens exposed to arsenic trioxide (As2O3) was investigated. The experiment was performed with two groups of hens fed for 19 d with either a standard diet or with the same diet enriched in arsenic (30 microg/g). The major findings were as follows: 1. After 19 d exposure, about 65% of the total liver As was found in the water-soluble phase (100,000g centrifuged supernatant). In liver supernatant, As binding was found mostly in the range of very low-molecular-weight proteins (Mr < 10,000). Although after exposure the amount of MT-like proteins increased, the As bound to it was only in trace amounts. The protein was identified by convential procedures as Zn,Cu-thionein with traces of selenium and arsenic. 2. Arsenic exposure resulted in almost unchanged Se levels regarding its tissue concentrations and distribution between supernatant and pellet, where about 10% of total Se was found in the supernatant. On the contrary, As exposure did affect Cd levels. Tissue Cd concentration was slightly diminished, but the percentage of tissue Cd found in the water-soluble phase was increased from 20% to 40%. 3. In methanol extracts of tissue and supernatant of the As-exposed group, only two arsenic compounds were detected, As(III) and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA), the latter prevailing.