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Biomedical subjects

T J Lampidis

Publications and source records attributed to T J Lampidis.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Reversal of intrinsic resistance to adriamycin in normal cells by verapamil.

Intracellular accumulation of adriamycin (ADM) was found to be increased in human breast carcinoma cell line (MCF-7) and cardiac-muscle cells as compared to an epithelial cell line derived from normal monkey kidney (CV-1) and non-muscle cells (fibroblasts) derived from the heart. This increase correlates with greater sensitivity of the carcinoma cell line to ADM. In CV-1, efflux of ADM contributes to low drug accumulation which correlates with the intrinsic drug resistance of the cells. Blockage of ADM efflux in this resistant cell line and subsequent increases in intracellular accumulation and sensitivity can be achieved by co-treatment with verapamil. ADM accumulation and sensitivity in MCF-7 however cannot be significantly increased by verapamil. These data demonstrate selectively for ADM in human breast carcinoma cell line, MCF-7 and cardiac-muscle cells in vitro. The reversal by verapamil of the normal cells' natural resistance, may have importance in the clinical use of verapamil as a resistance modulating agent.

Cell Line↗

Cellular pharmacology of anthracycline resistance and its circumvention.

Adriamycin-resistant cells express a multiple drug resistance phenotype characterized by cross-resistance to compounds of related and unrelated structure and action. The pharmacological determinants of this resistance, such as decreased drug uptake and/or decreased drug retention, are associated with biochemical alterations in the cells. To overcome multiple drug resistance, a calcium-channel blocking agent, verapamil, was used, which acted by increasing the amount of drug retained in resistant cells and consequently enhanced the cytotoxic effectiveness. The basis for this enhanced retention and cytotoxicity is not known. Whether these compounds sensitize the cells to the action of, or potentiate the effect of, anticancer drugs remains to be determined. The preliminary data tend to support the second possibility.

Animals↗

Mitochondrial and plasma membrane potentials cause unusual accumulation and retention of rhodamine 123 by human breast adenocarcinoma-derived MCF-7 cells.

Quantitative studies of MCF-7 cells (derived from human breast adenocarcinoma) and CV-1 cells (from normal African green monkey kidney epithelium), using the permeant cationic compound tetraphenylphosphonium (TPP), in conjunction with fluorescence microscopy using rhodamine 123 (Rh123), indicate that the mitochondrial and plasma membrane potentials affect both uptake and retention of these compounds. Under conditions that depolarize the plasma membrane, uptake and retention of TPP and Rh123, driven only by the mitochondrial membrane potential, is greater in MCF-7 than in CV-1. An ionophore that dissipates the mitochondrial membrane potential of MCF-7 cells causes them to resemble CV-1 cells by decreasing uptake and retention. Hyperpolarizing the mitochondrial membrane of CV-1 increases accumulation and prolongs retention; hyperpolarization of the plasma membrane further heightens this effect, causing the uptake of CV-1 cells to resemble that of MCF-7 cells even more closely. The greater uptake and retention by MCF-7 appears to be a consequence of elevated mitochondrial and plasma membrane potentials. The plasma membrane potential affects mitochondrial retention of TPP and Rh123 and its role in enhancing the effect of a difference in mitochondrial membrane potential is explained.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Interaction of rhodamine 123 with mitochondria isolated from drug-sensitive and -resistant Friend leukemia cells.

Mitochondria isolated from Friend leukemia cell lines sensitive (FS) and resistant (FR) to rhodamine 123 (Rho123), showed respiratory control and ADP/O ratios indicative of well-coupled oxidative phosphorylation activity. When Rho123 was added to mitochondria from both cell lines, respiratory State 4 increased. The increase was higher in mitochondria isolated from resistant than from sensitive cells. Respiratory State 3 was slightly more inhibited by Rho123 in resistant than in sensitive cell mitochondria (98 and 82% inhibition, respectively). While it is not clear how the uncoupling-like effects of Rho123 on State 4 contribute to cellular toxicity, our results indicate that differential cellular sensitivity to the drug does not correlate with inhibition of oxidative phosphorylation in mitochondria isolated from drug-sensitive and -resistant cells.

Animals↗

Selective killing of carcinoma cells "in vitro" by lipophilic-cationic compounds: a cellular basis.

Lipophilic positively-charged compounds are facilitated across biological membranes by the transmembrane potential of intact cells. One such compound, rhodamine 123, has recently been shown to be selectively toxic toward a variety of transformed (carcinoma), epithelial cells in vitro (Lampidis et al., 1982; Bernal et al., 1982; Lampidis et al., 1983). A mechanism that could account for the selectivity of this agent would be a difference in the plasma membrane potential between normal and carcinoma cells. We report here that a significantly higher transmembrane potential has been found in a pair of carcinoma (83 mV for human breast and -99 mV for human cervix) as compared to normal (-56 mV for marsupial kidney and -48 mV for monkey kidney) epithelial cell lines. We also identified 3 other positively-charged lipophilic compounds, safranin 0, rhodamine 6G and tetraphenylphosphonium chloride (TPP+), which show selective toxicity toward carcinoma cells in vitro, while an uncharged lipophilic analog, rhodamine 116, does not. These data suggest that the higher plasma membrane potential of carcinoma cells may in part contribute to the preferential accumulation and selective toxicity of the lipophilic cationic compounds we have examined. An extension of this concept to an in vivo environment could lead to a class of cationic compounds which selectively exploit differences between normal and carcinoma cells.

Animals↗

Reversal of resistance to rhodamine 123 in adriamycin-resistant Friend leukemia cells.

Pleiotropic resistance to rhodamine 123 (Rho-123) in Adriamycin (ADM)-resistant Friend leukemia cells was circumvented by cotreatment with 10 microM verapamil. Increased cytotoxicity corresponded to higher intracellular Rho-123 levels. The verapamil-induced increase of drug accumulation in resistant cells is accounted for at least in part by the blockage or slowing of Rho-123 efflux from these cells. In contrast, accumulation and consequent cytotoxicity of Rho-123 in sensitive cells are not increased by verapamil. Similar results were obtained when ADM was used in this cell system. These results suggest that the efflux system for Rho-123 and ADM in sensitive cells is either reduced or absent. Although Rho-123 accumulates specifically in mitochondria and ADM mainly in the nucleus, the loss of these two different classes of compounds from resistant cells appears to occur via a similar or common mechanism. The similarities in drug transport between Rho-123 and ADM may have important implications when applied to an in vivo environment.

Animals↗

Effects of the mitochondrial probe rhodamine 123 and related analogs on the function and viability of pulsating myocardial cells in culture.

Rhodamine 123, a cationic fluorescent dye, has previously been shown to specifically localize in or on mitochondria in living cells. Since it has also been shown to be relatively non-toxic in a variety of cell types it has been a useful tool for probing mitochondria in vitro. In this report, using cardiac cells in culture, we demonstrate that rhodamine 123 and 6G both positively charged compounds, quickly inhibit beating and kill cardiac-muscle cells while uncharged or neutral rhodamines, 116 and B, produce neither effect. We also present data which illustrate that the cationic rhodamines inhibit oxidative phosphorylation in isolated mitochondria while the neutral dyes do not. It is suggested that both phenomena may be related.

Animals↗

Cross-resistance to rhodamine 123 in Adriamycin- and daunorubicin-resistant Friend leukemia cell variants.

Cross-resistance to rhodamine 123 (Rho-123) has been found in Adriamycin (ADM)-resistant and daunorubicin (DNR)-resistant Friend leukemia cell variants. Cytotoxicity in sensitive cells correlates with the intracellular amount of Rho-123, as determined by high-pressure liquid chromatography. Differential resistance coincides with Rho-123 accumulation which in sensitive cells was 20-fold higher than in resistant cells after 180 min of treatment. Sodium azide, which has been shown to inhibit ADM efflux and consequently increase drug accumulation in ADM-resistant cells, did not inhibit Rho-123 efflux. The difference in Rho-123 accumulation between sensitive and resistant cells correlates with cytotoxicity, which is in contrast to what has been found in these cells when treated with either ADM or DNR. Moreover, in contrast to the known effects of ADM and DNR on macromolecular synthesis, Rho-123 in sensitive cells was found to inhibit protein synthesis but had no effect on DNA or RNA synthesis. At Rho-123 doses which inhibited protein synthesis, drug localization changed from mitochondrial specific to generalized cytoplasmic. This effect was never achieved in resistant cells, even with prolonged drug exposure. The relevance of these findings is that different mechanisms of resistance to different drug types can be identified in the same cells even though similar resistance occurs. The similarity in resistance need not share a common mechanism. Although the drugs are effluxed more efficiently in resistant cells, the mechanisms for resistance in each case seem to differ. In the case of ADM and DNR, it appears to be multifactorial, whereas with Rho-123, total intracellular accumulation seems to be most important.

Animals↗

Anticarcinoma activity in vivo of rhodamine 123, a mitochondrial-specific dye.

Carcinoma cells and normal epithelial cells differ in the mitochondrial retention of a permeant cationic compound, rhodamine 123. The possibility of utilizing this difference in carcinoma chemotherapy was investigated. Rhodamine 123 exhibited anticarcinoma activity in mice, and this activity was potentiated by 2-deoxyglucose.

Animals↗

Selective toxicity of rhodamine 123 in carcinoma cells in vitro.

The study of mitochondria in situ has recently been facilitated through the use of rhodamine 123, a mitochondrial-specific fluorescent dye. It has been found to be nontoxic when applied for short periods to a variety of cell types and has thus become an invaluable tool for examining mitochondrial morphology and function in the intact living cell. In this report, however, we demonstrate that with continuous exposure, rhodamine 123 selectively kills carcinoma as compared to normal epithelial cells grown in vitro. At doses of rhodamine 123 which were toxic to carcinoma cells, the conversion of mitochondrial-specific to cytoplasmic-nonspecific localization of the drug was observed prior to cell death. At 10 microgram/ml, greater than 50% cell death occurred within 7 days in all nine of the carcinoma cell types and lines of different origin studied, while six of six normal epithelial cell types and lines remained unaffected. Cotreating carcinoma cells with 2-deoxyglucose and rhodamine 123 enhanced the inhibition of growth by rhodamine 123 alone in clonogenic survival assays. The observation of the selective toxicity of rhodamine 123 appears to be unique in view of the absence of selective toxicity reported in vitro for the various antitumor agents currently in clinical use. Preliminary results with rhodamine 123 in animal tumor systems indicate antitumor activity for carcinomas.

Animals↗

Rhodamine-123 selectively reduces clonal growth of carcinoma cells in vitro.

Rhodamine-123, a cationic laser dye, markedly reduced the clonal growth of carcinoma cells but had little effect on nontumorigenic epithelial cells in vitro. This selective inhibitory effect of Rhodamine-123 on some carcinomas is unusual since known anticancer drugs, such as arabinosyl cytosine and methotrexate, have not been shown to exhibit such selectivity in vitro.

Animals↗

Unusual retention of rhodamine 123 by mitochondria in muscle and carcinoma cells.

Mitochondria in cardiac muscle cells and myoblast-fused myotubes display unusually long (3-5 days) retention times of rhodamine 123, a mitochondria-specific fluorescent probe, in living cells. Among 50 keratin-positive carcinoma or transformed epithelial cell lines tested, mitochondria with prolonged rhodamine 123 retention are detected in most of the transitional cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, and chemical carcinogen-transformed epithelial cell lines and in some squamous cell carcinoma lines but not in any oat cell carcinoma lines. The presence of mitochondria having unusual dye retention may be useful for diagnosis and exploitable for chemotherapy of certain human carcinomas.

Animals↗

Structural and functional effects of adriamycin on cardiac cells in vitro.

The effects of Adriamycin (ADR) on the heart, seen clinically as transient electrocardiographic changes and cardiomyopathy, have been simulated in an in vitro cardiac cell system. Structural and functional alterations in cultured heart cells can be dissociated based upon ADR dose and length of exposure. At high ADR doses (100 to 200 micrograms/ml), cessation of beating was rapid, and structural changes consistent with the in vivo cardiomyopathic picture (vacuolization and nucleolar fragmentation) were observed. At low ADR doses (0.1 to 0.5 micrograms/ml), arrhythmias were produced in the absence of ultrastructural changes (within 48 hr); the incidence and severity of the arrhythmias were demonstrated to be dose dependent. Continued treatment of cultures at low dose levels for sustained periods of time (up to 17 days) resulted in a striking loss of muscle fiber without concomitant vacuolization and nucleolar fragmentation. An intermediate ADR dose of 10 micrograms/ml for 1 hr exposure caused vacuolization and cessation of beating, with lysis of cells within 72 hr. The parallel between the effects of ADR on in vitro cardiac cell structure and function with those seen in vivo suggests that this simple system may have value in studies directed towards the mechanism of ADR-induced cardiac toxicity and in the screening of anthracycline analogs for their potential effects on the heart.

Animals↗