Partial Cross-resistance between Auranofin and Sodium Aurothiomalate in Cultured Human Cells

Abstract

Rugstad HE, Glennås A. Partial cross-resistance between auranofin and sodium aurothiomalate in cultured human cells. Scand J Rheumatology 1988; 17: 175-181.

Cross-resistance between auranofin and sodium aurothiomalate was tested in two substrains of cultured human epithelial cells. The HE_AF cells were previously made resistant to the otherwise lethal concentration of 2 umol auranofin per litre of culture medium. The HE_myo cells were made resistant to the otherwise lethal effect of 300 umol sodium aurothiomalate/1. After 4 days of continuous treatment with 2 umol auranofin/1, 4.6% of the parent HE cells, 55.7% of the HEAF cells and 51.7% of the HE_Myo cells continued to grow, compared with controls grown without drug supplement. After 4 days on 300 umol sodium aurothiomalate/1, 17.6% of the HE cells, 101.0% of the HE_Myo cells and 45.3% of the HE_AF cells continued to grow. Thus, there was an almost complete cross-resistance to auranofin in the HE_Myo cells, and a relative cross-resistance to sodium aurothiomalate in the HE_AF cells. The cross-resistance was not found to be related to decreased cytosolic concentration of total gold in the cross-resistant lines.

Key Words:

• cultured cells
• auranofin
• sodium aurothiomalate
• drug resistance
• metallo-thionein.