title: Enhancement by tamoxifen of the membrane antioxidant action of the yeast membrane sterol ergosterol: relevance to the antiyeast and anticancer action of tamoxifen.
abstract: The anticancer drug tamoxifen inhibits lipid peroxidation in ox-brain phospholipid liposomes, and is a good antiyeast agent, with clinical potential. We now report that the ergosterol-containing lipid fraction derived from yeast microsomal membranes (and the ergosterol separated from it) inhibited lipid peroxidation when introduced into ox-brain phospholipid liposomes. Inhibition of lipid peroxidation by the lipid fraction was greatly enhanced when yeast cell growth was inhibited with tamoxifen prior to lipid extraction. The ability of tamoxifen to enhance the membrane antioxidant ability of ergosterol is expressed in terms of a tamoxifen enhancement coefficient. Enhancement by tamoxifen of the membrane antioxidant action of ergosterol is discussed in relation to the antifungal and anticancer actions of tamoxifen.
authors.affiliation: Molecular Biology and Biophysics Group Biomedical Sciences Division, King's College London, UK.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wiseman
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cannon
authors.forename: H R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Arnstein
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Halliwell
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001923:Brain Chemistry; D002417:Cattle; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects; D004875:Ergosterol / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007501:Iron / Q000494:pharmacology; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation / Q000187:drug effects*; D008081:Liposomes / Q000737:chemistry; D008297:Male; D008861:Microsomes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D010743:Phospholipids / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects*; D013629:Tamoxifen / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017392:Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D008081:Liposomes; D010743:Phospholipids; D017392:Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances; D013629:Tamoxifen; D007501:Iron; D004875:Ergosterol