The effect of fatty acids and analogues upon intracellular levels of doxorubicin in cells displaying P-glycoprotein mediated multidrug resistance

Multidrug resistance mediated by overexpression of P-glycoprotein (P-gp) is a major obstacle in the chemotherapeutic management of cancer. The objectives of the current work were to examine if fatty acids affect the intracellular transport and dynamics of doxorubicin in drug-resistant cancer cell lines, and to assess if such effects were mediated through modulation of P-gp efflux pump activity. Among the range of fatty acids tested in this study, eicosapentaenoic acid diester (EPADI) increased doxorubicin accumulation [A] to 137% and retention [R] to 212% in doxorubicin-resistant MCF-7/ADR breast carcinoma cells, and [A] to 147% and [R] to 163% in vinblastine-resistant KBV1 nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells. Consistent with EPADI-induced increases in intracellular doxorubicin concentrations, EPADI (10 mug/ml) sensitized MCF-7/ADR cells to the cytotoxic effects of doxorubicin (1 mug/ml) as assessed by MTT assay (viability < 50% of control), while EPADI itself displayed no cytotoxicity, The combination of EPADI (10 <mu>g/ml) with verapamil (1 muM) resulted in a considerable increase in the [A] and [R] of the model P-gp substrate rhodamine-123 within drug-resistant cells compared to when either agent were used alone. KBV1 cells treated with combination of EPADI (10 mug/ml) and verapamil (1 muM) achieved 160% and 1120% greater [A] and [R] of rhodamine-123, respectively, compared to untreated cells. The P-gp modulatory effects of EPADI either alone, or as part of a combination with more potent inhibitors, should be further investigated.