ZINC-INDUCED RESISTANCE TO ALKYLATING AGENT TOXICITY
- 1 January 1982
- journal article
- research article
- Vol. 42 (8) , 2980-2984
Abstract
Suspension cultures of Chinese hamster ovary cells and 3 derived Cd-resistant variants were exposed to 100 .mu.M ZnCl2 prior to treatment with the [antineoplastic] alkylating agent melphalan; cytotoxicity was then determined by measuring colony-forming ability. A 10-fold or greater enhancement in survival of all Zn-pretreated cultures subsequently exposed to melphalan was observed which was unrelated to metallothionein induction capacity. Although the maximum achievable protection afforded by Zn occurred in cultures receiving 100 .mu.M ZnCl2, concentrations of Zn only slightly in excess of levels found in human serum provided a 4.5-fold enhancement of protection, indicating that the phenomenon can also be induced at physiologically reasonable levels. The existence of a novel Zn-inducible mechanism which protects cells against the toxic effects of alkylating agents was suggested.This publication has 2 references indexed in Scilit:
- Zinc-induced synthesis of low molecular weight zinc-binding protein by human lymphocytesBiological Trace Element Research, 1979
- Increase in hepatic metallothionein in rats treated with alkylating agentsToxicology and Applied Pharmacology, 1979