Glutathione-S-transferase P-form dependent chlorambucil resistance in Yoshida rat ascites hepatoma cell lines.

Yoshida rat ascites hepatoma (AH) has several cell lines with a characteristic sensitivity to antitumor drugs. AH66 cells overexpressed 160-170 kDa P-glycoprotein (P-gp) in the membrane and glutathione-S-transferase placental form (GST-P) in the cytosol. AH44 cells did not express P-gp but contained GST-P isozyme, while normal rat liver had GST-(1,2) and-(3,4) classes. AH44 and AH66 cells were more resistant to chlorambucil (CLB) than AH66F cells, which are a variant cell line derived from AH66 cells and lacked both proteins. CLB-resistant AH44 and AH66 cells contained a high amount of glutathione (GSH) and higher GST activity than AH66F cells. Ethacrynic acid, a GST-P inhibitor, and buthionine sulfoximine, a GSH biosynthesis inhibitor, significantly decreased the CBL resistance of AH44 and AH66 cells without influencing the sensitivity of AH66F cells. The CLB resistance of these cell lines were hardly influenced by verapamil, a calcium channel blocker with P-gp antagonistic action, which significantly decreased the vinblastine resistance of AH66 cells. This study indicates that AH66 cells showed multiple drug resistance dependent on P-gp and GST-P isozyme and that the AH44 cell line was CLB resistant through the GSH/GST-P detoxification system. These hepatomas are useful for investigation of the drug resistance of hepatic carcinomas and development of counteracting drugs.