Comparison of effects of growth factors and protein kinase C activators on cellular sensitivity to cis-diamminedichloroplatinum(II).

The anti-proliferative activity of the DNA-interactive anti-cancer agent cis-diamminedichloroplatinum(II) (cDDP) can be modulated by intracellular signaling systems. We have investigated the effects of growth factors on the sensitivity of human cervical carcinoma (HeLa) cells to cDDP. A 24-hr pretreatment of HeLa cells with 10 ng/ml epidermal growth factor (EGF) or transforming growth factor-alpha increased the anti-proliferative activity of cDDP by 2- to 4-fold. A similar pretreatment of HeLa cells with EGF did not alter cellular sensitivity to doxorubicin or vincristine. A brief exposure (15 min) to growth factors was not sufficient for cDDP sensitization. EGF caused a modest and transient increase in cellular diacylglycerol, the endogenous activator of protein kinase C. Bryostatin I, a partial agonist of protein kinase C, antagonized phorbol ester-mediated cDDP sensitization but had no effect on EGF-mediated sensitization to cDDP. Both EGF and phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate (PDBu) enhanced the rate of [195mPt]cDDP uptake but had no effect on the rate of [195mPt]cDDP efflux in HeLa cells. Bryostatin I reversed the increase in [195mPt]cDDP content by PDBu but failed to block EGF-induced increase in [195mPt]cDDP accumulation. Therefore, although the mechanism of cDDP sensitization by both EGF and phorbol ester appears to involve enhanced drug uptake, they may utilize distinct signal transduction pathways.