Reversal of doxorubicin-resistance in sarcoma 180 tumor cells by inhibition of different resistance mechanisms.

Resistance of tumor cells to doxorubicin is a multifactorial phenomenon. In the present investigation, the ability of resistance modifiers against different resistance mechanisms was analysed. Substances which block P-glycoprotein (P-170) function circumvented resistance of doxorubicin-resistant sarcoma 180 (S180) cells completely (verapamil, thioridazine) or partially (hycanthone), whereas inhibitors of glutathione S-transferase (ethacrynic acid, N-ethylmaleimide, buthionine sulfoximine), and protein kinase C (staurosporine, acridine orange) caused only a partial reversion of resistance. In contrast, an inhibitor of alkaline phosphatase (levamisole) did not overcome doxorubicin-resistance. These results indicate that P-glycoprotein blockers might be more effective to modulate doxorubicin-resistance of S180 cells as compared to other modifiers. Further investigations using other MDR cell lines are required to clarify the generality of these findings.