Reversal of multidrug resistance by tyrosine-kinase inhibitors in a non-P-glycoprotein-mediated multidrug-resistant cell line.

We have already established a human leukemia sub-line resistant to the growth-inhibitory effect of TPA (12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate) (K562/TPA) derived from K562. K562/TPA was found to be a non-P-glycoprotein-mediated multidrug-resistant cell line, in which intracellular drug accumulation was not reduced. In K562/TPA, adriamycin (ADM) was distributed mainly in the cytoplasm and was scarcely observed in the nucleus. We determined the relative levels of multidrug-resistance-associated protein (MRP), which was recently identified as the novel transporter. The relative levels of MRP in K562/TPA were the same as in K562. Although the catalytic activity of K562/TPA topoisomerase II was about half that of the parental cells, resistance to other drugs could not be explained by topoisomerase-II activity. To elucidate the mechanism of drug resistance in K562/TPA, we tried to find chemicals that would reverse the drug resistance. Tyrosine-kinase inhibitors enhanced the cytotoxicity of anti-neoplastic drugs against K562/TPA. Therefore we examined the modification of nuclear ADM accumulation in K562/TPA by one of these tyrosine-kinase inhibitors, genistein. Although the amount of ADM was decreased in the nuclei of K562/TPA cells, it was significantly increased after incubation in the presence of genistein. The formation of DNA single-strand breaks by ADM, etoposide, and ACNU was significantly lower in K562/TPA than in K562, but was significantly increased in the presence of genistein. These results suggest that genistein could overcome drug resistance by enhancing the accumulation of drug into the nuclear fraction of K562/TPA.