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M Crescimanno

Publications and source records attributed to M Crescimanno.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1994

Effects of 8-chloro-cyclic adenosine monophosphate on the growth and sensitivity to doxorubicin of multidrug-resistant tumour cell lines.

We examined the in vitro effects of 8-chloro-adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate (8-Cl-cAMP), a reportedly stable, potent and site-selective analogue of cAMP, on the proliferation and sensitivity to doxorubicin (DXR) of two mouse cell lines, the B16 melanoma and Friend leukaemia, both as wild-type (B16, FLC) and DXR-resistant (B16/DXR, FLC/DXR) variants. The latter strains had characteristics of 'typical' multidrug resistance (MDR), including the over-expression of P-glycoprotein. Encouragingly, 8-Cl-cAMP affected almost equally the growth of the chemosensitive and chemoresistant variants of both cell lines. Its activity proved to be much more elevated on cells cultivated with fresh rather than heat-inactivated calf serum. In fact, the IC50 values for B16 and B16/DXR were about 4.7 microM in fresh serum and 215 microM in heat-inactivated serum; the IC50 values for FLC and FLC/DXR were about 12 microM in fresh serum and 70 microM in heat-inactivated serum. Furthermore, experiments with B16 showed that cotreatments with isobutylmethylxanthine (IBMX), a phosphodiesterase inhibitor, or adenosine deaminase (ADA) greatly reduce the activity of 8-Cl-cAMP bringing it to comparable levels in fresh and heat-inactivated serum. These results indicate that the antiproliferative effects of 8-Cl-cAMP may be due principally to metabolites formed by the enzymic activities of the serum, most probably including 8-chloro-adenosine (8-Cl-adenosine), as suggested by other authors. Moreover, the dose-response curves and the IC50 values of the latter compound for the various cell lines were compatible with those observed for 8-Cl-cAMP in fresh serum. Finally, there was no evidence that 8-Cl-cAMP, either in the presence of fresh or heat-inactivated serum, or 8-Cl-adenosine may increase the sensitivity to DXR of the MDR variants of B16 melanoma and Friend leukaemia.

2-Chloroadenosine↗
PubMed1994

Effect of buthionine sulfoximine on the sensitivity to doxorubicin of parent and MDR tumor cell lines.

We have studied the interaction of glutathione-depleting concentrations of buthionine sulfoximine (BSO) with the anti-proliferative activity of doxorubicin (DXR) in three tumor lines, the mouse B16 melanoma. Friend erythroleukemia and the human K562 leukemia, both as DXR-sensitive and-resistant (with typical multidrug resistance) variants. BSO significantly enhanced the DXR effects in the wild-type Friend and K562 leukemias, and especially in the drug-resistant subline of Friend leukemia. BSO did not modify DXR accumulation and retention in the latter clone. Moreover, neither BSO nor verapamil used alone completely reversed the resistance to DXR of this cell line; their combination was more efficient and increased its drug sensitivity to a level closer to that of the parental counterpart. These results seem to indicate that the status of glutathione and of the enzymes related to it contributes to the resistance of Friend leukemia to DXR. An interesting additional finding was that BSO significantly synergizes with the antiproliferative effects of vincristine in the drug-sensitive variants of Friend and K562 leukemias.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Antiproliferative and chemomodulatory effects of interferon-gamma on doxorubicin-sensitive and -resistant tumor cell lines.

Biological agents might offer various therapeutic opportunities in the treatment of cancer, including a direct and/or host-mediated antiproliferative effect and also the possibility to favorably modulate tumor resistance to antineoplastic drugs. We studied the in vitro antiproliferative effects of interferon (IFN)-gamma on the mouse B16 melanoma and Friend erythroleukemia, and the human K562 erythroleukemia, as doxorubicin (DXR)-sensitive and -resistant (multidrug resistant) variants. These effects were marked in B16 melanoma and rather slight in K562 erythroleukemia, without any difference between the DXR-sensitive and -resistant lines. The chemosensitive variant of Friend erythroleukemia showed an intermediate response, which was greater than that seen in its resistant counterpart. There was no apparent relationship between the antiproliferative activity of IFN-gamma and the glutathione content of the cell lines. On the other hand, this activity was enhanced by co-treatment with glutathione-depleting concentrations of buthionine sulfoximine, but only in the cell lines which had responded better to IFN-gamma alone. This result probably confirms that a free radical mechanism plays a part in the antitumor effect of the cytokine. Finally, a range of concentrations of IFN-gamma, including slightly cytotoxic ones, did not substantially improve the antiproliferative effects of doxorubicin on the various cell lines, except in the DXR-sensitive variant of Friend erythroleukemia where a synergistic effect of the combination was observed. Thus, our results are not very promising with regard to a possible favorable modulatory activity by IFN-gamma of DXR (multidrug)-resistance.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Antioxidant defenses in a B16 melanoma line resistant to doxorubicin: an in vivo study.

A B16 melanoma line was repeatedly transplanted subcutaneously in C57BL/6 mice. On day 4 after every transplant, the animals were treated with doxorubicin (DXR), 10 mg/kg i.p. The aim of the work was to develop an in-vivo model of resistance to the antiblastic in order to analyze some possible mechanistic aspects of the process in the course of time. After 16 transplants and treatments the melanoma completely lost its sensitivity to the antiproliferative effects of maximal tolerated doses of DXR and showed over-expression of P-glycoprotein. Compared to the parental line, the in vitro resistance index was 4.6. After 27 transplants and treatments the melanoma did not increase its in vitro resistance to DXR further, and this resistance was completely reversed by verapamil. The behavior of the antioxidant defenses (superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione transferase, glutathione reductase and glutathione) was evaluated after 4, 16 and 27 transplants and treatments with DXR. At no stage did the treated melanoma show any variation in the antioxidant enzymes. Compared to the parental counterpart its glutathione levels were elevated after four treatments (+80%), when, however, the line was still sensitive to the in vivo effects of DXR, and after 16 treatments (+30%). Instead, no variation of the glutathione content was seen after 27 treatments with DXR. These results seem to exclude the possibility that the antioxidant defenses play a major role in the resistance of this B16 melanoma line to DXR. On the other hand, the low but, however, 'clinically' significant resistance of the tumor to the antiblastic seems mainly related to the mechanisms linked to the P-glycoprotein over-expression.

ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily B, Mem↗
PubMed1989

Cardiac peroxisomal enzymes and starvation.

In mice subjected to 3-day periods of food deprivation an increase in plasma free fatty acids occurred together with a rise in the cardiac content of fatty acyl CoA-oxidase (+ 15.2%) and catalase (+ 136.2%) activities. Stimulation of hydrogen peroxide production by the heart was found after 30 hours of fasting and this phenomenon was almost completely eliminated by 6 hours of refeeding. These data suggest that high myocardial loads of free fatty acids involve the peroxisomal enzymes in the beta-oxidation process. The resulting increase in hydrogen peroxide production could be partly responsible for the myocardial injury caused by starvation.

Acyl-CoA Oxidase↗
PubMed1989

Glutathione, glutathione S-transferases, and related redox enzymes in Adriamycin-resistant cell lines with a multidrug resistant phenotype.

Friend erythroleukemia cells (FLC) selected by exposure to Adriamycin (doxorubicin) express an approximate 2.5-fold (ARN1) or 13-fold (ARN2) resistance to the drug with various degrees of cross-resistance to other anthracyclines, vinca alkaloids, and epipodophyllotoxins. Because the redox cycling of the quinone moiety of Adriamycin is known to produce oxidative stress, however, an analysis of glutathione (GSH) and related enzyme systems was undertaken in the wild-type and selected resistant cells. In ARN1 and ARN2, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase activities were slightly decreased, intracellular GSH and GSH reductase were essentially unchanged, and total GSH peroxidase, glutathione S-transferase (GST), and DT-diaphorase activities were slightly elevated. In each case there was no stoichiometric relationship between degree of resistance and level of activity. GST isozymes were purified from each cell line by HPLC GSH affinity column chromatography. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and western blot immunoreactivity against a battery of GST isozyme polyclonal antibodies determined that both the resistant and sensitive cells expressed isozymes of the alpha, pi, and mu classes (alternative murine nomenclature: M1, M2, M3). Of significance, both ARN1 and ARN2 cell lines expressed a unique alpha subunit which was absent from the parent FLC cell line. This isozyme presumably accounted for the increased GSH peroxidase activity (cumene hydroperoxide as substrate) found in ARN1 and ARN2 and may play a role in the small incremental resistance to melphalan found for both resistant lines. Expression of the isozyme was not stoichiometric with respect to degree of resistance. The presence of this isozyme may contribute to the resistant phenotype or may be the consequence of a more general cellular response to oxidative stress.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Morphological changes and catalase activity in the hearts of CD 1 mice following acute starvation or single doses of doxorubicin, epirubicin or mitoxantrone.

The cardiac morphology of CD 1 mice undergoing two different schedules of acute (5 day) starvation and that of animals treated with a single dose (15 mg/kg i.p.) of doxorubicin, epirubicin or mitoxantrone were studied by light microscopy. Determinations of heart catalase were also carried out. Mice subjected to moderate starvation had a mean weight reduction of 18.7% and did not show heart morphological damage. A slight increase (38%) of heart catalase specific activity occurred in these animals. In animals subjected to severe starvation the weight loss was 32.2%. In this case considerable heart damage, in the form of myofibrillar loss, and a striking increase of catalase (158.5%) were seen. In the drug groups comparable weight reductions (about 15%) occurred 5 days after the treatment. Moderate heart lesions, represented by myolysis and especially by myocytic microvacuolation, were observed and appeared to be of similar degree in the 3 drug groups. Catalase specific activity increased by 119.9% in the doxorubicin animals, by 73% in the epirubicin mice and by 30.3% in the mitoxantrone ones. Light microscopy made it possible to distinguish between cardiac alterations induced by starvation and those specifically induced by antiblastics. Catalase may be helpful to indicate the existence of heart damage but it does not correlate well with the severity of the lesions by antiblastics. An additional cause of heart catalase elevation might be the free radical generation induced by the anthracyclines but not by mitoxantrone.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

In vivo effects of doxorubicin and isoproterenol on reduced glutathione and H2O2 production in mouse heart.

Some parameters of free radical generation were studied in the hearts of CD 1 mice at short time intervals after the administration of Doxorubicin (15 mg/Kg i.v.) or Isoproterenol (80 mg/Kg s.c.). The two drugs consistently caused a decrease in cardiac reduced glutathione. Isoproterenol significantly increased in vivo H2O2 production by the heart at all the intervals taken into consideration, i.e., 5, 8, 12 and 16 hours after its administration. However, Doxorubicin did not significantly modify H2O2 generation at the same hours. These findings suggest that an increase in H2O2 production may not be involved in the oxidative stress caused by the anthracyclines at cardiac level.

Amitrole↗
PubMed1987

Effects of doxorubicin on mouse heart catalase.

The behaviour of heart and liver catalase was studied 4 days after the administration of different doxorubicin doses to CD 1 mice. The antiblastic increased the specific activity of the heart enzyme with a clear dose-response relationship (+27% after 5 mg/kg i.p.; +61% after 7 mg/kg; + 108% after 10 mg/kg; + 147% after 15 mg/kg). This did not occur in the liver where, on the contrary, a significant reduction of catalase (-31%) was noticed after the highest dose. Analyses by gel filtration excluded the possibility that doxorubicin induces major changes in the molecular properties of heart catalase. In vivo experiments with aminotriazole, which blocks catalase irreversibly, indicated that doxorubicin stimulates the synthesis of cardiac catalase. These findings are discussed with reference to the possible mechanisms of anthracycline cardiotoxicity. The catalase elevation could represent a reaction by the heart to free radicals generated by doxorubicin.

Amitrole↗
PubMed1984

Effects of multiple doxorubicin doses on mouse cardiac and hepatic catalase.

Catalase activity was followed up in the hearts and livers of CD 1 mice treated with Doxorubicin 4 mg/Kg, i.v., weekly for 9 weeks. In this murine model the antiblastic induces cardiac morphological lesions which are progressively severer with the increase of the administered cumulative dose. Heart catalase showed a consistent elevation which reached a maximum (+116.2%, P less than 0.05) after the 5th dose. In the case of hepatic catalase no significant variation was observed except a transitory elevation following the first administration. The specific increase of heart catalase activity following multiple Doxorubicin doses could be an indicator that an enhanced free radical generation acts "in vivo" along with the onset of the cardiac lesions due to antiblastic.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Effects of amsacrine (m-AMSA), a new aminoacridine antitumor drug, on the rabbit heart.

There is emerging clinical evidence that amsacrine (m-AMSA) administration may be associated with cardiotoxic effects such as severe, even fatal, ventricular arrhythmias and impairment of the inotropic performance of the heart. Information on the cardiac effects of m-AMSA in animals is scanty. Studies on mice, dogs, and monkeys have not evidenced the cardiotoxicity of the compound. The data presented in this paper show that m-AMSA causes acute ECG alterations in normal rabbits and a dose-related negative inotropic effect on the isolated rabbit heart, suggesting that this species may be a useful model for the study of the cardiac actions of this antiblastic.

Aminoacridines↗