ABSTRACT
The mutagenic effect of environmental carcinogens has been well documented in animal models and in human studies but the mechanisms involved in preventing carcinogen insult have not been fully elucidated. In this study we examined the molecular and biochemical changes associated with carcinogen resistance in a series of aryl hydrocarbon-resistant MCF-7 cell lines developed by exposure to benzo[a]pyrene (BP). The cell lines were designated as AH(R40), AH(R100), and AH(R200) to denote their increasing fold resistance to BP compared with wild type cells. These cell lines were also resistant to another aryl hydrocarbon (AH), dimethylbenz[a]anthracene, but not to pleiotropic drugs (doxorubicin, vinblastine, and taxol). The resistant cell lines showed an increase in the level of the primary intracellular antioxidant, reduced glutathione, corresponding to increasing AH resistance. However, there was no change in glutathione reductase activity. The generation of reduced glutathione requires NADPH, and we therefore examined the activity and expression of the rate-limiting enzyme in NADPH production, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD). An increase in G6PD specific activity was associated with increasing aryl hydrocarbon resistance. This was due to an increased expression of G6PD in resistant cells, which was demonstrated by increases in both protein and mRNA levels. However, there was no increase in the transcription rate of G6PD in the resistant cell lines, indicating that the increase G6PD expression is due to a post-transcriptional modulation, which was confirmed by actinomycin D chase experiments. These results demonstrate that modulation of G6PD expression and activity is an important mechanism in AH resistance.
Subject(s)
9,10-Dimethyl-1,2-benzanthracene/toxicity , Benzo(a)pyrene/toxicity , Carcinogens/toxicity , Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic/drug effects , Glucosephosphate Dehydrogenase/metabolism , Glucosephosphate Dehydrogenase/genetics , Glutathione/analysis , Humans , Inactivation, Metabolic , Promoter Regions, Genetic , RNA, Messenger/analysis , Tumor Cells, CulturedABSTRACT
We used a series of P-glycoprotein (P-gp) expressing multidrug-resistant (MDR) cells, developed from human breast cancer MCF-7 cells by exposure to Adriamycin, to investigate the effects of flavonoids on P-gp-mediated efflux mechanisms for chemical carcinogens. We previously showed that MDR cells derived from exposure to Adriamycin are cross-resistant to a chemical carcinogen, benzo(a)pyrene, due to its cellular efflux by the P-gp-mediated putative drug efflux pump. Our current studies extended this observation to another polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene, known to induce mammary tumors in animals. In our attempt to find naturally occurring dietary compounds which may stimulate the P-gp-mediated efflux of carcinogens, we found that certain flavonols, kaempferol, quercetin, and galangin, are potent stimulators of the P-gp-mediated efflux of 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)-anthracene. The increased efflux decreased the cellular burden of 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene. Since these flavonol compounds are widely distributed in fruits and vegetables, their stimulatory effect on P-gp may be a mechanism relevant to carcinogenesis and the observed lowered cancer risk in humans with higher dietary intake of fruits and vegetables.
Subject(s)
9,10-Dimethyl-1,2-benzanthracene/metabolism , Breast Neoplasms/metabolism , Flavonoids/pharmacology , ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily B, Member 1 , Carrier Proteins/physiology , Diet , Drug Resistance , Female , Flavonols , Humans , Membrane Glycoproteins/physiology , Tumor Cells, CulturedABSTRACT
We propose that the cellular burden of certain carcinogens may be mitigated by P-glycoprotein (P-gp), the putative drug efflux pump. In a series of multidrug resistant human breast cancer MCF-7 cells with increasing P-gp expression we examined this hypothesis using benzo(alpha)pyrene, a widely distributed environmental and dietary carcinogen. We found that multidrug resistant cells were cross-resistant to benzo(alpha)pyrene and the rates of efflux for benzo(alpha)pyrene were higher in multidrug resistant cells than in wild type cells. Evidence supporting the involvement of P-gp included the inhibition of azidopine binding to P-gp benzo(alpha)pyrene and the inhibition of benzo(alpha)pyrene efflux by Adriamycin and verapamil. Our findings suggest that P-gp may play a role in the cellular defense to carcinogens. The expression of P-gp and the modulation of its function may affect the susceptibility of normal tissues to transformation by carcinogens.
