Involvement of the multidrug resistance P-glycoprotein in acetaminophen-induced toxicity in hepatoma-derived HepG2 and Hep3B cells.

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Manov I, Bashenko Y, Hirsh M, Iancu TC

Involvement of the multidrug resistance P-glycoprotein in acetaminophen-induced toxicity in hepatoma-derived HepG2 and Hep3B cells.

Basic Clin Pharmacol Toxicol. 2006 Sep;99(3):213-24. doi: 10.1111/j.1742-7843.2006.pto_443.x.

PubMed ID

16930294 [ View in PubMed

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Abstract

Acetaminophen overdose causes severe hepatic failure. Although the mechanisms of acetaminophen hepatotoxicity have been well investigated, little is known about the involvement of the P-glycoprotein in acetaminophen transport and toxicity. P-Glycoprotein is a membrane efflux pump, playing a significant role in regulating absorption, excretion, and tissue distribution of many drugs. To evaluate the contribution of P-glycoprotein transporter in the course of acetaminophen-induced toxicity, HepG2 and Hep3B cells with different P-glycoprotein expression and activity, were treated by acetaminophen (1-10 mM) for different time periods, with or without the P-glycoprotein inhibitor verapamil. P-Glycoprotein activity was determined by rhodamine 123 efflux assay and western blot analysis. To assess the acetaminophen-induced toxicity and effect of verapamil, we investigated cellular redox status, phosphatidylserine externalization, nuclear fragmentation and ultrastructural changes. Verapamil markedly enhanced acetaminophen-induced oxidative damage and cell death. Moreover, verapamil revealed acetaminophen toxicity even at subtoxic levels. High acetaminophen concentrations increased P-glycoprotein activity and content in both HepG2 and Hep3B cells. These observations suggest the involvement of P-glycoprotein in acetaminophen transport. Notwithstanding the differences of the investigated hepatoma cell lines in P-glycoprotein function, acetaminophen-induced toxicity was similar, possibly due to different functions of drug-metabolizing systems. We conclude that acetaminophen is a P-glycoprotein substrate and P-glycoprotein is involved in acetaminophen transport and toxicity in HepG2 and Hep3B cells. This study establishes the fact that acetaminophen can modulate P-glycoprotein in tumour cells, suggesting that its routine use in cancer patients in combination with anticancer drugs, may influence the result of chemotherapy.

DrugBank Data that Cites this Article

Drug Transporters

Drug	Transporter	Kind	Organism	Pharmacological Action	Actions
Acetaminophen	P-glycoprotein 1	Protein	Humans	Unknown	Substrate Inhibitor	Details