Cold plasma-treated medium preferentially eliminates doxorubicin-resistant osteosarcoma cells

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Biomedical Engineering
• Cancer Research

Background:

• Osteosarcoma (OS) is an aggressive bone cancer with limited treatment options.
• Doxorubicin (DX) resistance is a major challenge in OS treatment, leading to poor patient prognosis.
• Developing strategies to overcome drug resistance is crucial for improving OS outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the potential of Cold Plasma Treated Medium (PTM) in overcoming doxorubicin (DX) resistance in osteosarcoma (OS).
• To elucidate the mechanisms by which PTM affects DX-resistant OS cells.

Main Methods:

• Utilized two doxorubicin (DX)-resistant osteosarcoma (OS) cell models.
• Analyzed changes in cell proliferation, MDR1 efflux pump expression, and antioxidant enzyme levels (SOD2, GPX1) during DX resistance acquisition.
• Assessed the effects of PTM treatment on oxidative stress, cell viability, and MDR1 expression in DX-resistant OS cells.

Main Results:

• DX-resistant OS cells exhibited reduced proliferation, overexpression of MDR1, and decreased SOD2/GPX1.
• PTM treatment increased oxidative stress in resistant cells.
• PTM effectively eradicated DX-resistant OS cells and reduced MDR1 expression, sensitizing them to DX.

Conclusions:

• DX-resistant OS cells possess vulnerabilities related to oxidative stress management and MDR1 dependence.
• PTM treatment can exploit these vulnerabilities to overcome DX resistance in OS.
• PTM represents a promising therapeutic approach for managing drug resistance in osteosarcoma.