Biological and Pharmaceutical Bulletin
Online ISSN : 1347-5215
Print ISSN : 0918-6158
ISSN-L : 0918-6158
Regular Articles
Modulation of Multidrug Resistance by Artemisinin, Artesunate and Dihydroartemisinin in K562/adr and GLC4/adr Resistant Cell Lines
Paiboon ReungpatthanaphongSamlee Mankhetkorn
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2002 Volume 25 Issue 12 Pages 1555-1561

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Abstract

Overcoming MDR (multidrug resistance) phenomena is a crucial aspect of cancer chemotherapy research. Artemisinin and its derivatives have been found to inhibit the proliferation of cancer cells in the μM range. They poorly inhibited the function of P-glycoprotein and did not inhibit the function of MRP1-protein. The concentrations required to inhibit by 50% the function of P-glycoprotein are 110±5 μM. Artemisinin, artesunate and dihydroartemisinin efficiently decreased the mitochondrial membrane potential, leading to a decrease in intracellular ATP in all cell lines tested: by 30 to 50% at 5 μM. Artemisinin, artesunate and dihydroartemisinin increased cytotoxicity of pirarubicin and doxorubicin in P-glycoprotein-overexpressing K562/adr, and in MRP1-overexpressing GLC4/adr, with the δ0.5 ranging from 200 to 860 nM, but not in their corresponding drug-sensitive cell lines. In this range of concentrations these compounds did not decrease the function of P-glycoprotein, suggesting a mechanism by which the drugs did not reverse MDR phenomenon at the P-glycoprotein level but at the mitochondrial level.

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© 2002 The Pharmaceutical Society of Japan
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