Expression of P-glycoprotein on normal lymphocytes: enhancement of the doxorubicin-sensitivity of concanavalin A-responding mouse spleen cells by P-glycoprotein blockers.

The in vitro proliferative response of mouse spleen cells (SC) to the T-cell mitogen, concanavalin A (ConA), displays a doxorubicin (DOX)-resistant component. This T-cell proliferative response displays a much higher DOX sensitivity in the presence of novel potent inhibitors of P-glycoprotein (Pgp)-mediated multidrug resistance (MDR), the cyclosporin (Cs) derivative, SDZ PSC 833, and the semi-synthetic cyclopeptolide, SDZ 280-446. Another resistance modulator, verapamil, might share this property, but its detection was impaired by the intrinsic toxicity of this calcium channel blocker for T-cell proliferation. A CD8+ cell-depleted SC suspension displayed a higher sensitivity to DOX alone, as well as a different sensitivity profile to SDZ 280-446. The CD8+ cells that are sensitized to DOX by the resistance modulating agents (RMA) might correspond to a formerly described T-cell subpopulation with the MDR phenotype, which seems to be essentially constituted of CD8+ (cytotoxic) T cells. Our results may open the way to a novel form of immunomodulation combining classical antineoplastic agents with Pgp-blocking Cs analogs (even non-immunosuppressive ones), which may be particularly useful when treating acute graft rejection.