title: Flunarizine as a modulator of doxorubicin resistance in human colon-adenocarcinoma cells.
abstract: The potential of the calcium-entry blocker flunarizine in modulating the cytotoxicity of doxorubicin was investigated in human colon-adenocarcinoma cell lines sensitive to (LoVo) or with experimentally induced resistance (LoVo/DX) to doxorubicin. Exposure to 1 to 2 micrograms/ml flunarizine for intervals of up to 24 hr did not affect cell survival in either line. Simultaneous exposure to flunarizine and doxorubicin for 1 hr selectively enhanced doxorubicin activity in the resistant cell line and not in the sensitive cell line. In particular, the doxorubicin concentration able to reduce cell survival by 50% dropped to one third. Moreover, simultaneous exposure to flunarizine significantly increased intracellular doxorubicin accumulation, as evaluated by fluorescence spectrophotometry. Again, flow-cytometric analysis showed hyperpolarization of the membrane in resistant cells, starting from 15 min of exposure to 2 micrograms/ml flunarizine. Finally, in LoVo/DX cells, which normally express gp170, a 24-hr treatment with flunarizine markedly reduced the immunoreactivity of cells with 2 monoclonal antibodies (MAb57 and MRK16) directed against different external epitopes of the glycoprotein. The results from our study indicate the ability of flunarizine to positively modulate doxorubicin-resistance in human colon-adenocarcinoma cells expressing the multidrug-resistance phenotype.
authors.affiliation: Divisione di Oncologia Sperimentale C, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Silvestrini
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Zaffaroni
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Orlandi
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Villa
authors.forename: H R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Hendriks
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy*; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D005444:Flunarizine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000187:drug effects; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D004317:Doxorubicin; D005444:Flunarizine