Expression of lung resistance-related protein, LRP, and multidrug resistance-related protein, MRP1, in normal human lung cells in long-term cultures

Combination of gambogic acid with cisplatin enhances the antitumor effects on cisplatin-resistant lung cancer cells by downregulating MRP2 and LRP expression

Cisplatin resistance is a main clinical problem of lung cancer therapy. Gambogic acid (GA) could prohibit the proliferation of a variety of human cancer cells. However, the effects of GA on cisplatin-resistant lung cancer are still unclear. The objective of the present study was to find out the antitumor effects of GA on cisplatin-resistant human lung cancer A549/DDP cells and further explore its underlying mechanisms. Cell Counting Kit-8 assay was used to observe the impacts of GA and/or cisplatin on the proliferation of lung cancer cells; flow cytometry was used to detect the effects of GA on cell cycle and apoptosis; Western blot was used to examine the effects of GA on the expression of lung resistance protein (LRP) and multidrug resistance-associated protein 2 (MRP2) protein in A549/DDP cells. Our results showed that GA dose- and time-dependently prohibited the proliferation and induced significant cell apoptosis in A549 and A549/DDP cells. GA also induced G0/G1 arrest in both A549/DDP and A549 cells. Moreover, GA upregulated protein expression level of cleaved caspase-3 and Bax and downregulated protein expression level of pro-caspase-9 and Bcl-2 in time- and dose-dependent way in A549/DDP cells. GA combined with cisplatin enhanced the cells apoptotic rate and reduced the cisplatin resistance index in A549/DDP cells. In addition, GA reduced the MRP2 and LRP protein expression level in A549/DDP cells. GA inhibits the proliferation, induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in A549/DDP cells. Combination of GA with cisplatin enhances the antitumor effects on cisplatin-resistant lung cancer cells by downregulating MRP2 and LRP expression.

Transcriptional regulation, stabilization, and subcellular redistribution of multidrug resistance-associated protein 1 (MRP1) by glycogen synthase kinase 3αβ: novel insights on modes of cadmium-induced cell death stimulated by MRP1

Cadmium (Cd) resistance is associated with the suppression of autophagy in H460 lung cancer cells, which is regulated by phospho(p)serine-glycogen synthase kinase (GSK) 3αβ. However, the involvement of multidrug resistance (MDR) in this signaling pathway and its underlying mechanisms remain to be elucidated. In this study, we used Cd-resistant cells (RH460), developed from H460 lung cancer cells, to demonstrate that the induction of MDR-associated protein (MRP1) in response to Cd is enhanced in H460 cells compared to RH460. Treating RH460 cells with Cd induced large cytoplasmic vacuoles, which was inhibited by the autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenine. MRP1 was detected in the nuclear-rich membrane fractions and redistributed from the perinuclear to the cytoplasmic compartment following exposure to Cd. Cd-induced MRP1, p-Ser/p-Tyr GSK3αβ, and LC3-II were all suppressed by the GSK3 inhibitor SB216763, but increased by lithium. Furthermore, MRP1 was upregulated by the Ser/Thr phosphatase inhibitor okadaic acid and downregulated by the tyrosine phosphatase inhibitor vanadate, suggesting that MRP1 protein was stabilized by p-Ser GSK3αβ. In addition, co-immunoprecipitation and co-localization analyzes revealed a physical interaction between MRP1 and p-Ser GSK3αβ. Genetic knockdown of GSK3β decreased Cd-induced MRP1 mRNA and protein levels, whereas its overexpression upregulated MRP1 protein expression. MRP1 also co-localized with lysosomal membrane protein-2, which may cause lysosomal membrane permeabilization and the subsequent release of cathepsins into the cytosol. In mice chronically injected with Cd, MRP1 localized to the perinuclear region of bronchial and alveolar epithelial cells. Collectively, these data suggest that Cd toxicity is regulated by the transcriptional regulation, stabilization, and subcellular redistribution of MRP1 via the posttranslational modification of GSK3αβ. Therefore, the serine phosphorylation of GSK3αβ plays a critical role in MRP1-induced cell death.

Artificial airways for the study of respiratory disease

This review will focus on human cell-based experimental models to study respiratory diseases, in particular models of the large airways relevant to asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Such models have the advantage of incorporating cells that can be derived from disease-relevant tissue and so have retained important genetic and epigenetic features that contribute to the human disease. These models can be used for mechanistic studies, target identification and validation and toxicological testing. While many models have been developed to varying degrees of sophistication, the challenge remains to develop an integrated system that recapitulates the complex cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions that occur in vivo and to provide these with a 'circulation' to study the dynamics of immune and inflammatory cell influx and efflux.

Drug transporters in the lung--do they play a role in the biopharmaceutics of inhaled drugs?

The role of transporters in drug absorption, distribution and elimination processes as well as in drug-drug interactions is increasingly being recognised. Although the lungs express high levels of both efflux and uptake drug transporters, little is known of the implications for the biopharmaceutics of inhaled drugs. The current knowledge of the expression, localisation and functionality of drug transporters in the pulmonary tissue and the few studies that have looked at their impact on pulmonary drug absorption is extensively reviewed. The emphasis is on transporters most likely to affect the disposition of inhaled drugs: (1) the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) superfamily which includes the efflux pumps P-glycoprotein (P-gp), multidrug resistance associated proteins (MRPs), breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP) and (2) the solute-linked carrier (SLC and SLCO) superfamily to which belong the organic cation transporter (OCT) family, the peptide transporter (PEPT) family, the organic anion transporter (OAT) family and the organic anion transporting polypeptide (OATP) family. Whenever available, expression and localisation in the intact human tissue are compared with those in animal lungs and respiratory epithelial cell models in vitro. The influence of lung diseases or exogenous agents on transporter expression is also mentioned.

Arachidonic acid pathway activates multidrug resistance related protein in cultured human lung cells

Primary cultures of human lung cells can serve as a model system to study the mechanisms underlying the effects of irritants in air and to get a deeper insight into the (patho)physiological roles of the xenobiotic detoxification systems. For 99 human lung cancer cases the culture duration for bronchial epithelium and peripheral lung cells (PLC) are given in term of generations and weeks. Using this system, we investigated whether and how prostaglandins (PG) modify multidrug resistance related protein (MRP) function in normal human lung cells. PGF2alpha had no effect on MRP function, whereas PGE2 induced MRP activity in cultured NHBECs. The transport activity study of MRP in NHBEC, PLC, and A549 under the effect of exogenously supplied PGF2alpha (10 microM, 1 day) using single cell fluorimetry revealed no alteration in transport activity of MRP. PG concentrations were within the physiological range. COX I and II inhibitors indomethacin (5, 10 microM) and celecoxib (5, 10 microM) could substantially decrease the transport activity of MRP in NHBEC, PLC, and A549 in 1- and 4-day trials. Prostaglandin E2 did not change cadmium-induced caspase 3/7 activation in NHBECs and had no own effect on caspase 3/7 activity. Cadmium chloride (5, 10 microM) was an effective inducer of caspase 3/7 activation in NHBECs with a fivefold and ninefold rise of activity. In primary human lung cells arachidonic acid activates MRP transport function only in primary epithelial lung cells by prostaglandin E2 but not by F2alpha mediated pathways and this effect needs some time to develop.