Differences in the cellular response and signaling pathways of cisplatin and BBR3464 ([[trans-PtCl(NH3)(2)]2mu-(trans-Pt(NH3)(2)(H2N(CH2)(6)-NH2)2)]4+) influenced by copper homeostasis.

[[trans-PtCl(NH(3))(2)](2)mu-(trans-Pt(NH(3))(2)(H(2)N(CH(2))(6)-NH(2))(2))](4+) (BBR3464) is a cationic trinuclear platinum drug that is being evaluated in phase II clinical trials for treatment of lung and ovarian cancers. The structure and DNA binding profile of BBR3464 is different from drugs commonly used clinically. It is of great interest to evaluate the difference between the mechanisms of uptake employed by BBR3464 and cisplatin (c-DDP), as altered uptake may explain chemoresistance. Using transfected cell lines, we show that both c-DDP and BBR3464 use the copper transporter hCTR1 to enter cells and to a lesser extent, the ATP7B transporter to exit cells. Copper influenced c-DDP and BBR3464 uptake similarly; it increased the c-DDP and BBR3464 uptake in ovarian (A2780) and colorectal (HCT116) carcinoma cell lines as detected by ICP-OES. However, the effects of copper on c-DDP- and BBR3464-mediated cytotoxicity differed. Copper decreased c-DDP-induced apoptosis, caspase-3/7 activation, p53 induction and PARP cleavage in cancer cell lines. In contrast, copper increased BBR3464-induced apoptosis, and had little effect on caspase activation, PARP cleavage, and p53 induction. It was concluded that BBR3464 employs mechanisms of intracellular action distinct from c-DDP. Although these drugs use the same cellular transporters (hCTR1 and ATP7B) for influx and efflux, downstream effects are different for the two drugs. These experiments illustrate fundamental differences in the mechanisms of action between cisplatin and the novel Pt-based drug BBR3464.