Differential modulation of chemosensitivity to alkylating agents and platinum compounds by DNA repair modulators in human lung cancer cell lines

Purpose: Modulation of DNA repair represents one strategy to overcome cellular drug resistance to alkylating agents and platinum compounds. The effects of different known DNA repair modulators such as O ⁶-benzylguanine (6 μg/ml), fludarabine (25 ng/ml), aphidicolin (8.5 ng/ml), pentoxifylline (1.4 μg/ml) and methoxamine (12.4 μg/ml) on the cytotoxicity of mafosfamide, chlorambucil, 1,3-bis-(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea (BCNU), cisplatin and carboplatin were tested in human lung cancer cell lines. Methods: Chemosensitivity of the human adenocarcinoma cell line MOR/P and the cisplatin-resistant subline MOR/CPR as well as the large-cell lung cancer cell line L23/P and its cisplatin-resistant counterpart L23/CPR were evaluated by the MTT colorimetric assay. Results: O ⁶-benzylguanine, an inhibitor of O ⁶-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase, significantly sensitised MOR/P and MOR/CPR cells to the cytotoxic effect of BCNU. Fludarabine, methoxamine and aphidicolin did not change the chemosensitivity of the parental and cisplatin-resistant cell lines to any cytotoxic drug tested. Interestingly, O ⁶-benzylguanine enhanced the chemoresistance of parental and cisplatin-resistant cell lines to platinum compounds. Also, pentoxifylline increased resistance of the MOR cell lines to mafosfamide. Conclusions: Modulation of DNA repair elicits not only chemosensitisation but may also enhance cellular resistance to DNA-affine drugs. Received: 17 August 1999 / Accepted: 19 November 1999