Reversal of multidrug resistance by B859-35, a metabolite of B859-35, niguldipine, verapamil and nitrendipine

Abstract

It has been shown previously that verapamil and other calcium antagonists and calmodulin inhibitors can reverse multidrug resistance. We compared the potency of the dihydropyridine derivatives (4 R)-3-[3-(4,4-diphenyl-l-piperadinyl)-propyl]-5-methyl-1,4-dihydro-2,6-dimethyl-4-(3-nitrophenyl)-pyridine-3,5-dicarboxylate-hydrochloride (B859-35), a metabolite of B859-35, niguldipine and (R)-nitrendipine to that of (RS)-verapamil in reversing multidrug resistance. The accumulation of the fluorescent dye rhodamine 123, which is transported by the P-glycoprotein, was determined by a flow cytometer. Multidrug-resistant human HeLa KB-8-5 and Walker rat carcinoma cells were incubated in the presence and in absence of the drugs indicated above. We found that 0.1 μM B859-35 increases the accumulation of rhodamine 123 in multidrug-resistant KB-8-5 and Walker cells more effectively than 1 μM (RS)-verapamil. In sensitive KB-3-1 cells addition of the drugs had no significant influence on the accumulation of rhodamine 123. In KB-8-5 cells, 10 n M Adriamycin caused a reduction of cell growth to 85% compared to untreated controls (=100%). If 1 μM B859-35, B859-35 metabolite, niguldipine, verapamil or (R)-nitrendipine was added to 10 n M Adriamycin, growth reduction compared with untreated controls increased to 12%, 11%, 23%, 63%, and 82% respectively. The effect of 0.1 μM B859-35 was a reduction in proliferation to 38%, that of 0.1 μM verapamil to 72%. These data illustrate that B859-35, a compound with antitumor activity in several tumors, is at least ten times more potent than racemic verapamil in reversing multidrug resistance. © 1992 Springer-Verlag.