Intracellular distribution of anthracyclines in drug resistant cells

The unresponsiveness of multidrug resistant tumor cells to antineoplastic chemotherapy is often associated with reduced cellular drug accumulation accomplished by overexpressed transport molecules. Moreover, intracellular drug distribution in resistant cells appears to be remarkably different when compared to their wild type counterparts. In the present paper, we report observations on the intracellular accumulation and distribution of doxorubicin, an antitumoral agent widely employed in chemotherapy, in sensitive and resistant cultured tumor cells. The inherent fluorescence of doxorubicin allowed us to follow its fate in living cells by laser scanning confocal microscopy. This study included flow cytometric analysis of drug uptake and efflux and analysis of the presence of the well known drug transporter P-glycoprotein. Morphological, immunocytochemical and functional data evidentiated the Golgi apparatus as the preferential intracytoplasmic site of drug accumulation in resistant cells, capable of sequestering doxorubicin away from the nuclear target. Moreover, P-glycoprotein has been found located in the Golgi apparatus in drug induced resistant cells and in intrinsic resistant cells, such as melanoma cells. Thus, this organelle seems to play a pivotal role in the intracellular distribution of doxorubicin.