New approach to vital analysis of functional activity in ABC transporters (markers for multidrug resistance) in solid tumors by the method of flow cytofluorometry

• Published in: Bulletin of experimental biology and medicine Vol. 135; no. 5; pp. 482 - 488
• Main Authors: Bogush, T A, Zabotina, T N, Bogush, E A, Chmutin, E F, Komov, D V, Kadagidze, Z G, Baryshnikov, A Yu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Springer Nature B.V 01-05-2003
• Subjects: Antibiotics, Antineoplastic - therapeutic use; ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters - metabolism; Biomarkers, Tumor; Biopsy; Doxorubicin - therapeutic use; Drug Resistance, Multiple - physiology; Flow Cytometry - methods; Humans; Neoplasms - drug therapy; Neoplasms - metabolism; Neoplasms - pathology
• ISSN: 0007-4888; 1573-8221
• DOI: 10.1023/A:1024927711913

We developed and described a new approach to vital analysis of functional activity of multidrug resistance markers (ABC transporters) in intact biopsy specimens from human solid tumors by the method of flow cytofluorometry. The algorithm of the study underwent revision, and the cell suspension was obtained in the final stage. Intensification of intracellular doxorubicin accumulation (fluorescence) and increase in the number of fluorescent cells and total fluorescence of doxorubicin-accumulating cells produced by ABC transporter inhibitor sodium azide served as the criteria of expression of these transporters in tumor tissue. Informative value of changes in various parameters of doxorubicin fluorescence is discussed. The increase in the count of fluorescent cells in the suspension of tumors cells after treatment with the inhibitor indicates the presence of tumor cells absolutely resistant to this preparation. The proposed method is technically simple, suitable for structurally different tumors, requires small amounts of the biopsy material and, therefore, can be used for routine analysis. The results of our analysis and spectrofluorometric assay of ABC transporters agree very closely, which suggest that this method is adequate for the purpose.