PSC 833 induces apoptosis in drug-sensitive human leukemia cell line and modulates resistance to paclitaxel in its multidrug-resistant variant.

Background: The non-immunosuppressive cyclosporine analog PSC 833 has been shown to reverse multidrug-resistance of neoplastic cells including the MDR-1 gene coded P-glycoprotein (P-gp)-mediated cells resistant to paclitaxel.

Methods: Apoptosis was demonstrated in drug-sensitive HL-60 and multidrug-resistant human promyelocytic leukemia HL-60/ADR (MRP) and HL-60/VCR (MDR-1) cells in vitro with the aid of flow cytometry, DNA analysis and western blotting.

Results: The techniques used herein determined accumulation of paclitaxel/PSC 833 induced apoptotic cells with sub-G0 (hypodiploid) DNA content and blocked in the G2/M phase of the cell cycle, internucleosomal DNA fragmentation, poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavage, Bcl-2 modulation and Bax up-regulation, without any significant alterations in the levels of Bcl-xL, CD95/Fas or Fas-L proteins.

Conclusions: Drug resistance modulator PSC 833 abolished the P-gp-mediated multidrug-resistance to paclitaxel and paclitaxel-induced apoptosis in human myeloid leukemia (HL-60/VCR) cells in vitro. Furthermore, PSC 833 alone induced apoptosis in parental drug-sensitive leukemia cells, but not in both multidrug-resistant sublines studied.