ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Hepatocellular carcinoma is the most common liver malignancy and the third leading cause of cancer death worldwide. One crucial limitation in the pharmacotherapy for this tumour is its chemotherapy-resistant nature produced by the overexpression of several members of the ATP-binding cassette protein family that efflux drugs out of cells, as observed with the breast cancer resistant protein (BCRP). OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess the ability of Pluronic® F127 to reverse the multidrug resistance phenotype in two human hepatocellular cell lines. METHODS: PLC/PRF/5 and SKHep1 cells were exposed to Pluronic® F127 at several concentrations. The effect of F127 on BCRP expression (mRNA and protein), mitochondrial transmembrane potential and cell hypodiploidy was assessed. Finally, the effect of this copolymer on cytotoxicity of doxorubicin in both hepatoma cell lines was investigated, as expressed by its reverse resistance index. KEY FINDINGS: It was demonstrated that F127 in both cell lines contributes to chemosensitization, as shown by BCRP down-regulation, an altered mitochondrial transmembrane potential and hypodiploidy and reverse resistance index values. A remarkable dependence of these effects significantly correlated with the copolymer concentration. CONCLUSIONS: These findings further uncover the potential usefulness of this copolymer as multidrug resistance reversal agent, increasing the efficacy of cancer therapies.
Subject(s)
Doxorubicin/blood , Doxorubicin/pharmacology , Poloxamer/chemistry , Polyethylenes/chemistry , Polypropylenes/chemistry , ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily G, Member 2/metabolism , Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/drug therapy , Cell Line, Tumor , Down-Regulation/drug effects , Drug Resistance, Multiple/drug effects , Drug Resistance, Neoplasm/drug effects , Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic/drug effects , Humans , Liver Neoplasms/drug therapy , Membrane Potential, Mitochondrial/drug effectsABSTRACT
In Argentina, current procedures to ensure the safety of the blood supply for transfusion include the serologic detection of specific blood-borne infections. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and the genetic diversity of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis D virus (HDV) in blood donor populations from two distantly located Argentine regions. Data from 56,983 blood donations from the Favaloro Foundation, in the city of Buenos Aires (Central Region), and the Central Blood Bank of Misiones Province (Northeast Region) were analyzed. Samples that were reactive for HBsAg were analyzed for HBV-DNA characterization and HDV serological and molecular analysis. The HBV prevalence was 0.12 % for HBsAg and 1.68 % for anti-HBc antibodies in Buenos Aires, and 0.73 % and 8.55 %, respectively, in Misiones. Seventy-seven HBsAg-reactive samples were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction for HBV-DNA. Subgenotypes A2, B2, C2, F1b and F4 (Buenos Aires) and F1b and D3 (Misiones) were detected. Several mutations within the major hydrophilic region of HBsAg, the reverse transcriptase, the basal core promoter, and the precore/core were detected. HDV genotype 1 was identified in Buenos Aires. This study confirms the circulation of several HBV subgenotypes, as well as known and newly identified variants, and the presence of HDV1 in this population. A thorough investigation has to be carried out to evaluate the clinical importance of some of the documented mutations as well as those detected in the HDV1 case.
