title: Multidrug resistance gene expression in rodents and rodent hepatocytes treated with mitoxantrone.
abstract: Overexpression of P-glycoprotein in tumor cells can represent a severe drawback for cancer chemotherapy. P-glycoprotein acts as an efflux transporter for a variety of chemotherapeutic agents. It is encoded by multidrug resistance (mdr) genes of the subfamily 1 in humans (MDR1) and rodents (mdr1a and 1b). Because mdr1 gene expression is inducible in cultured rat hepatocytes and in rat liver with chemical carcinogens such as 2-acetylaminofluorene or aflatoxin B1, which form DNA-binding electrophiles during their metabolism, we investigated whether the DNA-damaging chemotherapeutic drug mitoxantrone may induce multidrug resistance in rodents and in hepatocytes in primary culture. In H4IIE rat hepatoma cells stably transfected with a luciferase construct containing the rat mdr1b promoter, mitoxantrone caused a concentration-dependent increase in promoter activity. Mdr1 gene expression in cultured rat hepatocytes was enhanced at mitoxantrone concentrations greater than or equal to 0.1 microM and in mouse hepatocytes at 5 microM. In hepatocytes from both species, a correlation was found between mdr1 induction and the inhibition of protein synthesis. In vivo, mitoxantrone was a very powerful inducer of mdr1 gene expression in rat liver and small intestine. In rat kidney, induction of mRNA was lower, and a marginal effect was seen in lung. In contrast with rats, no significant induction of mdr1 gene expression was obtained in mouse liver. Probably as a consequence of inhibition of protein synthesis, mitoxantrone did not lead to a pronounced elevation of P-glycoprotein levels in rat liver and kidney.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Toxicology, University of Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Schrenk
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Michalke
authors.forename: T W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Gant
authors.forename: P C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Silverman
authors.forename: S S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Thorgeirsson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000187:drug effects; D019450:Genes, MDR; D007668:Kidney / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008942:Mitoxantrone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D014018:Tissue Distribution
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D008942:Mitoxantrone