title: Enhancement of doxorubicin toxicity following activation by NADPH cytochrome P450 reductase.
abstract: Treatment of MCF-7 cells with doxorubicin in the presence of purified rat NADPH cytochrome P450 reductase (P450red) and NADPH resulted in a marked enhancement of drug cytotoxicity. No potentiation of cell killing was observed when the drug was incubated with P450red and NADPH prior to addition to the cells, implicating the involvement of short-lived species. The increase in doxorubicin toxicity was clearly related to its metabolism by P450red. Of a variety of free radical scavenging agents tested only glutathione was effective in protecting against the toxic metabolites produced by reductive activation. Preliminary experiments also showed that doxorubicin binding to cellular proteins and DNA occurred to a greater extent when cells were treated with the drug and P450red. Our data indicate that oxygen radicals do not play a primary role in cytochrome P450 reductase-mediated doxorubicin cytotoxicity and suggest that, in this case, the mechanism of toxicity involves a reactive species which binds to cellular nucleophiles.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, University of Edinburgh, U.K.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bartoszek
authors.forename: C R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Wolf
mesh_terms: D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology; D001711:Biotransformation; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000378:metabolism; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D004347:Drug Interactions; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers; D006801:Humans; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation; D009251:NADPH-Ferrihemoprotein Reductase / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D011485:Protein Binding; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers; D004317:Doxorubicin; D009251:NADPH-Ferrihemoprotein Reductase