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Digoxin up-regulates multidrug resistance transporter (MDR1) mRNA and simultaneously down-regulates steroid

Kohji Takara1, Kentaro Takagi, Masayuki Tsujimoto

  • 1Department of Hospital Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyoto Pharmaceutical University, 5 Nakauchi-cho, Misasagi, Yamashina-ku, 607-8414, Kyoto, Japan. takara@mb.kyoto-phu.ac.jp

Insights

Digoxin up-regulates MDR1 (multidrug resistance 1) mRNA expression in colon cells. This study shows steroid xenobiotic receptor (SXR) mRNA decreases as MDR1 increases, revealing an inverse relationship.

Area of Science:

  • Pharmacology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Cell Biology

Background:

  • The steroid xenobiotic receptor (SXR) is implicated in the induction of multidrug resistance 1 (MDR1)/P-glycoprotein.
  • Previous studies demonstrated MDR1 up-regulation by digoxin in Caco-2 cells, but SXR's role remained unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the participation of SXR in digoxin-induced MDR1 up-regulation in human colon cell lines.
  • To elucidate the relationship between SXR and MDR1 mRNA expression levels under digoxin exposure.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to quantify mRNA expression.
  • Examined MDR1 and SXR mRNA levels in Caco-2, digoxin-tolerant Caco/DX, and LS180 cells.
  • Assessed concentration-dependent effects of digoxin exposure.

Main Results:

  • Digoxin exposure increased MDR1 mRNA expression in a concentration-dependent manner in Caco-2 and LS180 cells.
  • SXR mRNA levels decreased concentration-dependently with digoxin exposure, showing antithetical changes to MDR1.
  • Digoxin-tolerant Caco/DX cells exhibited higher MDR1 mRNA and lower SXR mRNA compared to Caco-2 cells.

Conclusions:

  • Digoxin up-regulates MDR1 mRNA expression in human colon cells.
  • Digoxin simultaneously down-regulates SXR mRNA expression, indicating an inverse relationship between the two.
  • SXR plays a role in the regulation of MDR1 expression in response to digoxin.

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