Summary: | <p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Heptaplatin is a new platinum derivative with anticancer activity against various cancer cell lines, including cisplatin-resistant cancer cell lines (Cancer Chemother Pharmacol 1995; 35: 441).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Molecular mechanisms of heptaplatin effective against cisplatin-resistant cancer cell lines has been investigated in connection with metallothionein (MT). Cytotoxicity was determined by an MTT assay. MT mRNA, was determined by RT-PCR assay. Transfection study was carried out to examine the function of MT.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Of various gastric cancer cell lines, SNU-638 and SNU-601 showed the highest and lowest levels of MT mRNA, respectively, showing 80-fold difference. The IC<sub>50 </sub>values of SNU-638 to cisplatin, carboplatin and heptaplatin were 11.2-fold, 5.1-fold and 2.0-fold greater than those of SNU-601, respectively. Heptaplatin was more effective against cisplatin-resistant and MT-transfected gastric cancer sublines than cisplatin or carboplatin was. In addition, heptaplatin attenuated cadmium, but not zinc, induction of MT.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These results indicate that molecular mechanisms of heptaplatin effective against cisplatin-resistant gastric cancer sublines is at least in part due to the less involvement of MT in heptaplatin resistance as well as its attenuation of MT induction.</p>
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