Thermosensitization by lowering intracellular pH with 5-(N-ethyl-N-isopropyl) amiloride

It has previously been reported that amiloride, a diuretic drug, sensitizes cells to hyperthermia by inhibiting the Na+/H+ exchange through the plasma membrane and thus decreasing the intracellular pH (pHi), particularly in a low extracellular pH (pHe) environment. In the present study, the efficacy of 5-(N-ethyl-N-isopropyl) amiloride (EIPA), an analog of amiloride, to lower the pHi and sensitize tumor cells to hyperthermia was investigated. It was observed that 10 microM EIPA was as effective as 500 microM amiloride to lower the pHi and to increase the thermal sensitivity of SCK tumor cells in vitro. The fact that lowering the pHi and increasing thermal sensitivity of tumor cells by EIPA are more pronounced in acidic medium suggests that the acidic intratumor environment may be exploited to selectively increase the thermal damage in tumors relative to normal tissues by EIPA or its analogs.