Hypersensitizing effect of pluronic L61 on cytotoxic activity, transport, and subcellular distribution of doxorubicin in multiple drug-resistant cells.

The present study demonstrated that poly(oxypropylene) and poly(oxyethylene) block copolymer pluronic L61 (L61)-hypersensitized multidrug-resistant CHRC5 Chinese hamster ovary cells and MCF-7/ADR human breast carcinoma cells to the cytotoxic action of doxorubicin (Dox). CHRC5 and MCF-7/ADR cells manifested 290- and 700-fold increases, respectively, in their sensitivity to Dox/L61 formulation compared with free Dox. Their sensitive counterparts Aux-B1 and MCF-7 displayed only marginal or no increase at all in their response to Dox/L61. The study of the drug transport performed by flow cytometry showed that L61 enhanced the drug uptake and reduced the P-glycoprotein-mediated drug efflux. Visualization of Dox subcellular distribution in CHRC5 cells by fluorescent microscopy revealed that Dox was sequestered in cytoplasmic vesicles, whereas incubation of the cells with Dox/L61 altered the drug compartmentalization by releasing the drug from these vesicles and shifting it to the nucleus. These findings suggested that the hypersensitive response of multidrug-resistant cells to the action of Dox/L61 was caused by an increase in the drug accumulation and changes in its subcellular distribution.