Diazenes as modificators of drug-resistance in tumor cells

To overcome the drug resistance, which is the major obstacle in the successful treatment of cancer patients, various compounds have been tested. Glutathione is one of the most promising targets for modulation. In the present study, we examined the influence of five new synthesized compounds--diazenes on the reduction of the intracellular level of GSH. Further, we investigated their ability to increase the cytotoxicity of cisplatin, vincristine and doxorubicin. In experiments human parental cervical (HeLa) and laryngeal (HEp2) carcinoma cells and their drug-resistant cell sublines (HeLaCA and CK2, respectively) were used. Intracellular GSH content was examined spectrophotometrically by the procedure developed by Tietze. The cell sensitivity to drugs was determined using a modified colorimetric MTT assay. Results showed that the rate of reduction of GSH concentration was dependent on the cell type and the type of diazenes. We did not find a correlation between the reduction in GSH level and increased cytotoxicity to selected anticancer drugs. Nevertheless, we found that: a) diazenes LV-35 and VZ-19 increased the cytotoxicity of cisplatin in HEp2 cells, b) diazene MG-19 potentiated the cytotoxicity of vincristine in HEp2 cells, and c) diazene VZ-19 in HeLaCA cells. These data suggest that specific combination of diazene and anticancer drug may be useful in the treatment of certain tumor types.