Reversal of doxorubicin-resistance in solid tumors by clomipramine

Resistance to cytotoxic treatment is a major obstacle to more successful cancer treatment, and approaches to overcome the drug resistance of tumors have received much attention in recent years. In the present in vivo study the psychotropic drug clomipramine was used as chemosensitizer in the doxorubicin (DOX)-resistant L 1210 cell line growing as solid tumors in mice. A significant reduction in the growth of DOX-resistant tumors was observed after treatment with clomipramine and DOX (p = 0.014, Kruskal Wallis-test; p = 0.006, Wilcoxon rank sum test). Thus, clomipramine might be useful in reversing DOX-resistance in solid tumors.