Effect of dihydrokainate on the antitumor activity of doxorubicin.

Abstract

For biochemical modulation, components of green tea have been shown to be useful modulators in combination with doxorubicin (DOX). We have confirmed that theanine enhances the antitumor activity of DOX due to inhibition of DOX efflux from tumor cells. Because theanine is a glutamate analogue, we found that it is associated with a change in the drug transport system on the tumor cell membrane, in particular glutamate transporters. We examined the effect of dihydrokainate (DHK), one of the useful glutamate transporter inhibitors. DHK also inhibits DOX efflux significantly and reduces the glutamate uptake by Ehrlich ascites carcinoma cells. The potential contribution of glutamate transporters not only to glutamate uptake but also to cell membrane export of DOX has been shown. In addition, the combination of DHK with DOX significantly enhances the antitumor activity of DOX, by 1.8-fold (P<0.001). The DOX concentration in tumors significantly increases on combination with DHK and is correlated with the reduced tumor weight. On the other hand, DHK tends to reduce the DOX concentration in normal tissues. We expect that DHK has different actions in tumor and normal tissues because different isoforms of glutamate transporters are expressed in the two tissues. Thus, the results suggest that DHK is a novel and useful modulator for inducing enhancement of antitumor activity.

• Authors: Yasuyuki Sadzuka, Yasuyo Yamashita, Tomomi Sugiyama, Takashi Sonobe
• Journal: Cancer letters (Cancer Lett) Vol. 179 Issue 2 Pg. 157-63 (May 28 2002) ISSN: 0304-3835 [Print] Ireland
• PMID: 11888670 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Antineoplastic Agents
• Glutamic Acid
• dihydrokainic acid
• Doxorubicin
• Kainic Acid

Topics

• Animals
• Antineoplastic Agents (pharmacokinetics, pharmacology)
• Carcinoma, Ehrlich Tumor (drug therapy, metabolism, prevention & control)
• Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
• Doxorubicin (pharmacokinetics, pharmacology)
• Drug Interactions
• Drug Synergism
• Glutamic Acid (drug effects, pharmacokinetics)
• Kainic Acid (analogs & derivatives, pharmacology)
• Male
• Mice
• Neoplasms, Experimental (drug therapy, metabolism, pathology)
• Tumor Cells, Cultured