Selective reversal of vinblastine resistance in multidrug-resistant cell lines by tamoxifen, toremifene and their metabolites.
Kirk J., Houlbrook S., Stuart NS., Stratford IJ., Harris AL., Carmichael J.
In this study we describe the effects of tamoxifen, toremifene and their 4-hydroxy and N-desmethyl metabolites on the toxicity of a range of drugs to human breast and lung cancer and to Chinese hamster ovary cell lines, determined using a tetrazolium-based semi-automated colorimetric assay. Vinblastine resistance was completely abolished in an mdr1-transfected lung cancer cell line (S1/1.1), indicating that P-glycoprotein-mediated multidrug resistance can be fully reversed by anti-oestrogens. A substantial (14- to 39-fold) enhancement of vinblastine toxicity to highly multidrug-resistant (MCF-7Adr) cells expressing P-glycoprotein was also observed in the presence of tamoxifen, toremifene and their metabolites, while m-amsacrine, cisplatin and melphalan toxicity was unaffected.