ALPHA-FETOPROTEIN-MEDIATED TARGETING - A NEW STRATEGY TO OVERCOME MULTIDRUG-RESISTANCE OF TUMOR-CELLS IN-VITRO

The possibility of overcoming the multidrug resistance of human malign ant cells by using doxorubicin conjugated to alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) w as studied. It was shown that this type of antitumour drugs, penetrati ng the cell by receptor-mediated endocytosis with AFP as a vehicle, ra ises the sensitivity of the tumour cells that are resistant due to the expression of the multidrug resistance gene mdr1. The sensitivity of antibiotic-resistant cell lines SKVLB (a human ovarian carcinoma) and MCF-7 AdrR (a human breast carcinoma:) increased by 10- and 4-fold, re spectively, when AFP-conjugated doxorubicin was used. The rationale of using human AFP-antitumour drug conjugates for the development of new chemotherapeutic approaches to cancer treatment is discussed. (C) 199 7 Academic Press.