Glutathione conjugation of chlorambucil: measurement and modulation by plant polyphenols.

Chlorambucil (CMB), an anticancer drug, was cytotoxic at concentrations of 5-20 microM to human colon adenocarcinoma cells. It inhibited [14C]thymidine uptake in a dose-dependent manner. Both effects were potentiated by simultaneous exposure of the cells to 10 microM plant polyphenols. In an attempt to explain the possible mechanism of action of the polyphenols in relation to these observations, an HPLC-radiometric method was developed to measure the conjugation of CMB with glutathione in these cells and to monitor the export of monochloromonoglutathionyl CMB (MG-CMB), its main glutathione conjugate. At micromolar concentrations, five polyphenols, namely quercetin, butein, tannic acid, 2'-hydroxychalcone and morin, inhibited the efflux of CMB significantly; an inhibition of 40% was observed with 10 microM quercetin. The glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity of the cancer cells, measured with 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene, was also inhibited by the polyphenols. Their combined action on GST and on the efflux of MG-CMB conjugate could provide an enhanced positive modulation of sensitivity of the tumour cells to CMB.