Concurrent expressions of metallothionein, glutathione S-transferase-pi, and P-glycoprotein in colorectal cancers.

PURPOSE: Because the status of the inherent drug-resistance of colorectal cancers remains obscure, human colorectal cancers with no neoadjuvant therapy were retrospectively investigated regarding the expression of three drug-resistant proteins: metallothionein, glutathione S-transferase-pi, and P-glycoprotein. METHODS: Paraffin-embedded tissues of 130 colorectal cancers (Dukes A, 20; B, 49; C, 41; D, 20) obtained by surgical resections from 1982 to 1989 were used. The three proteins were immunostained by the streptavidin-biotin complex method. The immunostaining was judged to be positive if more than 5 percent of cells showed positive staining by use of cell analysis system. The data were compared with clinicopathologic features (Dukes A-D) and patients' prognosis (Dukes AC). RESULTS: Metallothionein, glutathione S-transferase-pi, and P-glycoprotein were positively expressed in 91 (70 percent), 30 (23 percent), and 98 (75 percent), respectively. A total of 120 (86 percent) expressed at least one drug-resistant protein. No intergroup differences were observed between positive and negative expressions of the proteins and their clinicopathologic features except tumor location. Rectal cancers positively expressed P-glycoprotein and three proteins more frequently. Twenty-six (20 percent), 65 (50 percent), and 21 (16 percent) cancers positively expressed one, two, and three proteins, respectively. The disease-free survival rates of patients with Dukes A through C cancer with positive staining for one, two, and three proteins were 100, 94, and 83 percent (at 1 year); 100, 72, and 51 percent (at 3 years); and 94, 66, and 38 percent (at 5 years), respectively (Kaplan-Meier with log-rank test; P = 0.016). In the multivariate Cox analysis, age, Dukes stage, tumor size, and glutathione S-transferase-pi were independent prognostic factors. CONCLUSIONS: The patients with concurrent expression of drug-resistant proteins in their cancers had worse prognoses. Examining drug-resistant proteins in colorectal cancers may be useful in selecting adjuvant chemotherapy and in predicting prognosis more accurately.

Prognostic significance of the expressions of metallothionein, glutathione-S-transferase-pi, and P-glycoprotein in curatively resected gastric cancer.

Although experimental studies indicate that overexpression of metallothionein (MT), glutathione-S-transferase-pi (GST-pi), or P-glycoprotein (P-GP) is related to the drug resistance of cancer cells, the clinical significance of the overexpression remains to be elucidated. The expressions of MT, GST-pi, and P-GP wre evaluated immunohistochemically in 74 specimens of gastric adenocarcinoma in T1-3N1-2 stages which were resected with curative intent. Fluorinated pyrimidines, mitomycin C, and Adriamycin were prescribed in 73, 54, and 2 patients, respectively. The staining characteristics were investigated in relation to the clinical results. The cell-proliferative activity was studied with anti-proliferating cell nuclear antigen antibody. Expressions of GST-pi and P-GP correlated with the staining intensity of normal mucosa. Five-year disease-free survival rates (DFSRs) of GST-pi-negative and GST-pi-positive groups were 75.0 and 49.0%. The 5-year DFSRs of P-GP-negative and P-GP-positive groups were 68.2 and 38.6%. Concurrent expression among the three proteins was associated with the survival: 5-year DFSR of no- or one-protein-positive group was 75.0%, while those of 2- and 3-protein-positive groups were 56.0 and 38.9%, respectively. Tumors concurrently expressing 2 or 3 proteins have a high proliferative activity. Expressions of MT, GST-pi, and P-GP by the tumor are associated with a poorer prognosis of the patients.

Antimicrobial activity of topical beta-adrenergic blocking agents.

Three topical beta-adrenergic blocking agents without preservatives were tested for their ability to inhibit the growth of five microorganisms in vitro. Timolol maleate and befunolol hydrochloride showed no antimicrobial activity; however, bupranolol hydrochloride inhibited microbial growth. The minimum inhibitory concentration of bupranolol hydrochloride was 0.1% for Bacillus subtilis and 0.05% for Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli.