1. Academic Validation
  2. Flavonoid dimers as bivalent modulators for P-glycoprotein-based multidrug resistance: synthetic apigenin homodimers linked with defined-length poly(ethylene glycol) spacers increase drug retention and enhance chemosensitivity in resistant cancer cells

Flavonoid dimers as bivalent modulators for P-glycoprotein-based multidrug resistance: synthetic apigenin homodimers linked with defined-length poly(ethylene glycol) spacers increase drug retention and enhance chemosensitivity in resistant cancer cells

  • J Med Chem. 2006 Nov 16;49(23):6742-59. doi: 10.1021/jm060593+.
Kin-Fai Chan 1 Yunzhe Zhao Brendan A Burkett Iris L K Wong Larry M C Chow Tak Hang Chan
Affiliations

Affiliation

  • 1 Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology and the Institute of Molecular Technology for Drug Discovery and Synthesis, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong SAR.
Abstract

Much effort has been spent on searching for better P-glycoprotein- (P-gp-) based multidrug resistance (MDR) modulators. Our approach was to target the binding sites of P-gp using dimers of dietary Flavonoids. A series of apigenin-based flavonoid dimers, linked by poly(ethylene glycol) chains of various lengths, have been synthesized. These flavonoid dimers modulate drug chemosensitivity and retention in breast and leukemic MDR cells with the optimal number of ethylene glycol units equal to 2-4. Compound 9d bearing four ethylene glycol units increased drug accumulation in drug-resistant cells and enhanced cytotoxicity of paclitaxel, doxorubicin, daunomycin, vincristine, and vinblastine in drug-resistant breast Cancer and leukemia cells in vitro, resulting in reduction of IC50 by 5-50 times. This compound also stimulated P-gp's ATPase activity by 3.3-fold. Its modulating activity was presumably by binding to the substrate binding sites of P-gp and disrupting drug efflux.

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