title: Etoposide-resistant human colon and lung adenocarcinoma cell lines exhibit sensitivity to homoharringtonine.
abstract: Human colon (HCT116/VP48) and lung (A549B/VP29) adenocarcinoma cell lines selected for resistance to etoposide exhibited modified patterns of multi-drug resistance (MDR) that included a differential sensitivity to other DNA topoisomerase II inhibitors and to the plant alkaloids homoharringtonine, vinblastine, and vincristine. The resistance and cross-resistance drug phenotype of the A549B/VP29 cell line was different from that of the HCT116/VP48 cell line. The HCT116/VP48 cell line was 50-fold resistant to etoposide and 30-fold resistant to teniposide. The degree of resistance to other DNA topoisomerase II inhibitors was of a lower magnitude: Adriamycin, 9-fold; daunomycin, 3-fold; 4'-[(9-acridinyl)-amino]-methanesulfone-m-anisidide (m-AMSA), 3-fold; and actinomycin D, 6-fold. The HCT 116/VP48 cell line exhibited a 7-fold resistance to vincristine and a 2-fold resistance to vinblastine but was sensitive to homo-harringtonine. The A549B/VP29 cell line was 5-fold resistant to etoposide and 2-fold resistant to teniposide. The A549B/VP29 cell line exhibited a 2-fold resistance to Adriamycin but was sensitive to daunomycin and showed a 3-fold resistance to m-AMSA. This cell line was sensitive to actinomycin D. The A549B/VP29 cell line was 2-fold resistant to vinblastine and sensitive to homoharringtonine. Both cell lines (HCT116/VP48 and A549/VP29) exhibited no amplification of the human mdr1 DNA sequence, the 4.3-kb P-glycoprotein transcript, or the membrane P-glycoprotein. The sensitivity of cells exhibiting an MDR phenotype not mediated by P-glycoprotein suggests a potential use for homoharringtonine in treating tumors with this type of drug resistance.
authors.affiliation: Kettering-Meyer Laboratory, Southern Research Institute, Birmingham, AL 35255-5305.
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Wilkoff
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Dulmadge
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vasanthakumar
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Donahue
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy*; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004351:Drug Resistance; D005047:Etoposide / Q000494:pharmacology; D006248:Harringtonines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000077863:Homoharringtonine; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D006248:Harringtonines; D000077863:Homoharringtonine; D005047:Etoposide