title: Maurocalcine as a non toxic drug carrier overcomes doxorubicin resistance in the cancer cell line MDA-MB 231.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study is to overcome tumour cell resistance that generally develops after administration of commonly used anti-cancer drugs, such as doxorubicin.
  
  
  METHODS
  Recently, cell penetrating peptides have been used for their ability to deliver non-permeant compounds into cells. One such cell penetrating peptide, maurocalcine, has been isolated from the venom of a Tunisian scorpion. Herein, we report the effects of doxorubicin covalently coupled to an analogue of maurocalcine on drug-sensitive or drug-resistant cell lines MCF7 and MDA-MB 231.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We demonstrated the in vitro anti-tumoral efficacy of the doxorubicin maurocalcine conjugate. On a doxorubicin-sensitive cancer cell line, the maurocalcine-conjugated form appears slightly less efficient than doxorubicin itself. On the contrary, on a doxorubicin-resistant cancer cell line, doxorubicin coupling allows to overcome the drug resistance. This strategy can be generalized to other cell penetrating peptides since Tat and penetratin show similar effects.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We conclude that coupling anti-tumoral drugs to cell penetrating peptides represent a valuable strategy to overcome drug resistance.
authors.affiliation: INSERM, U836, Calcium Channels, Functions and Pathologies, BP 170, Grenoble Cedex 9, 38042, France.
authors.forename: Sonia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aroui
authors.forename: Narendra
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ram
authors.forename: Florence
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Appaix
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ronjat
authors.forename: Abderraouf
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kenani
authors.forename: Fabienne
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pirollet
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: De Waard
mesh_terms: D000903:Antibiotics, Antineoplastic / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D002626:Chemistry, Pharmaceutical; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004337:Drug Carriers; D004339:Drug Compounding; D019008:Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D012604:Scorpion Venoms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000633:toxicity; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000903:Antibiotics, Antineoplastic; D004337:Drug Carriers; D012604:Scorpion Venoms; C406406:maurocalcine; D004317:Doxorubicin