The effect of taurine, a novel biochemical modulator, on the antitumor activity of doxorubicin.
Taurine is contained in seafood and has been studied extensively on life-style related diseases. Theanine increased the effects of the doxorubicin (DOX) as an antitumor agent in some tumors and enhanced the DOX level in tumor cells. It is expected that the advanced effect of food uptake in cancer chemotherapy may be effective from the viewpoint of quality of life (QOL) improvement, although this approach has not been investigated in detail. In this study, the effect of taurine as a functional amino acid was examined. Taurine did not change the DOX influx into M5076 cells, whereas it significantly inhibited DOX efflux, which maintained the DOX level in tumor cells. Furthermore, experiments with taurine decreased tumor weight by 40%, compared to the DOX-alone group and significantly increased its antitumor effect. Moreover, as taurine did not increase DOX concentration in normal tissue, it is suggested that it increased the antitumor effect without enhancing DOX-induced adverse effects. DOX efflux is inhibited by beta-alanine as a taurine transporter inhibitor, therefore, enhancement of the DOX level by taurine was suggested to act via taurine transport. Namely, it was clarified that taurine was useful as a modulator to enhance the therapeutic index of cancer patients and improve QOL.
Sadzuka
Yasuyuki
Y
University of Shizuoka, Yada, Suruga-ku, Japan. ysadzuka@iwate-med.ac.jp
Matsuura
Makoto
M
Sonobe
Takashi
T
D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004357:Drug Synergism; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism*; D011788:Quality of Life; D013654:Taurine / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000099247:Taurine Transporters
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D004317:Doxorubicin; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins; D013654:Taurine; D000099247:Taurine Transporters