Therapeutic effects of transdermal systems containing zinc-related materials on thermal burn rats.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study is to evaluate the efficacy of slow zinc (Zn) release from ß-tricalcium phosphate powder (ZnTCP) containing 10 mol% Zn on rats with thermal burns. METHODS: The first-aid tapes were contained zinc sulfate (ZnSO4) solution, ZnTCP suspensions or zinc oxide ointment. After thermal burn treatments were performed on Zn-deficient rats, the groups D1, D2 and D3 were treated with tapes containing ZnTCP, ZnSO4 and zinc oxide ointment. The effects of the tapes on wound area, plasma Zn levels and alkaline phosphatase activity (Alp) were investigated. RESULTS: The wound area profiles of all rat groups could be separated into before and after the scab formation at around day 6. The area under the curve (Aw-AUC) for wound area profiles, therefore, was evaluated as an index of therapeutic scores for the thermal wound. The order of Aw-AUC was D3>C>D2>D1. The degree of expansion at the initial stage by thermal burns of group D1 was the lowest and that of group D2 was the highest, and the order was D1

Enhancement of doxorubicin concentration in the M5076 ovarian sarcoma cells by cucurbitacin E co-treatment.

Cucurbitacin E increases the doxorubicin (DOX) level in M5076 ovarian sarcoma via suppressed DOX efflux in vitro. An increase in DOX induced antitumor activity by cucurbitacin E in vivo has been reported previously. This paper attempts to clarify the mechanism of cucurbitacin E induced increments in the antitumor activity of DOX. MK-571, a multidrug resistance associated protein (MRP) inhibitor, significantly suppressed DOX efflux from M5076 ovarian sarcoma cells. The combination of cucurbitacin E with MK-571 also inhibited DOX efflux, whereas the efficacy was the same in each treatment. Namely, the inhibition of DOX efflux by cucurbitacin E was expected to be related to MRP. In contrast, it appeared that the effect of cucurbitacin E on DOX permeability did not relate to P-gp. The cucurbitacin E co-treatment significantly increased DOX concentration in the tumor within a short time after DOX administration, whereas the same treatment decreased the DOX concentration in normal tissues. The different effects of cucurbitacin E between tumor and normal tissues was speculated to be related to differences in DOX transport system on cell membrane. In DOX therapy, cucurbitacin E co-treatment was expected to increase DOX induced antitumor activity without an increase in adverse reactions due to DOX.

Screening of biochemical modulator by tumor cell permeability of doxorubicin.

We screened various food components for their ability to inhibit doxorubicin (DOX) permeability in tumor cells in vitro with the aim of finding novel modulators. Capsaicin did not change DOX permeability in the tumor cells, although the capsaicin derivatives gingerol and ferulic acid tended to promote DOX efflux. Combinations of these components with DOX were also not effective. In contrast, cucurbitacin E significantly promoted DOX influx into tumor cells and increased DOX concentration in tumor cells. Furthermore, combined cucurbitacin E significantly suppressed DOX efflux from tumor cells and was shown to maintain the DOX level in tumor cells. It was also confirmed that the combination of cucurbitacin E with DOX resulted in effective cytotoxicity for tumor cells in culture. Additionally, the combination of cucurbitacin E and DOX showed increased cytotoxicity when compared to each treatment alone. In vivo, DOX alone treatment did not change the time course of tumor size or tumor weight of M5076 ovarian sarcoma, compared to control levels. In contrast, the combination of cucurbitacin E with DOX resulted in decreased tumor size and tumor weight, compared to that in DOX alone group, indicating effective antitumor activity. In conclusion, the combination of cucurbitacin E with DOX may be an effective tool with treated application in the cancer chemotherapy.