The reversal of antineoplastic drug resistance in cancer cells by β-elemene.
10.1186/s40880-015-0048-0
- Author:
Guan-Nan ZHANG
1
;
Charles R ASHBY
1
;
Yun-Kai ZHANG
1
;
Zhe-Sheng CHEN
1
;
Huiqin GUO
2
Author Information
1. Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, St. John's University, Queens, NY, 11439, USA. chenz@stjohns.edu.
2. Department of Thoracic Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing, 100730, P. R. China. guohuiqin2@163.com.
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- MeSH:
Antineoplastic Agents;
Apoptosis;
Drug Resistance, Multiple;
Drug Resistance, Neoplasm;
Humans;
Neoplasms;
Pinellia;
Sesquiterpenes
- From:Chinese Journal of Cancer
2015;34(11):488-495
- CountryChina
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
Multidrug resistance (MDR), defined as the resistance of cancer cells to compounds with diverse structures and mechanisms of actions, significantly limits the efficacy of antitumor drugs. A major mechanism that mediates MDR in cancer is the overexpression of adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-binding cassette transporters. These transporters bind to their respective substrates and catalyze their efflux from cancer cells, thereby lowering the intracellular concentrations of the substrates and thus attenuating or even abolishing their efficacy. In addition, cancer cells can become resistant to drugs via mechanisms that attenuate apoptosis and cell cycle arrest such as alterations in the p53, check point kinase, nuclear factor kappa B, and the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway. In this review, we discuss the mechanisms by which β-elemene, a compound extracted from Rhizoma zedoariae that has clinical antitumor efficacy, overcomes drug resistance in cancer.
