Reversing drug resistance of cisplatin by hsp90 inhibitors in human ovarian cancer cells

Objective: To investigate the mechanisms for reversing drug resistance of cisplatin (DDP) by Hsp90 inhibitors (geldanamycin (GA), 17-AAG, 17-DMAG) in human ovarian cancer. Methods: Cell proliferation rate in DDP resistant human ovarian cancer cell line SKOV3/DDP and its parent cell line SKOV3 after treatment with Hsp90 inhibitors and/or DDP were tested by MTT assay, and the reversing fold (RF) of DDP by Hsp90 inhibitors was calculated. Cell cycle and cell apoptosis status after treatment were analyzed by flow cytometry. The expression of multiple drug resistance related genes was analyzed by RT-PCR and Western-blot. Results: All three tested Hsp90 inhibitors synergistically inhibited the cell proliferation of SKOV3 with DDP and enhanced the sensitivity of SKOV3/DDP cells to DDP. The RF of DDP by Hsp90 inhibitors were all more than two fold. GA caused cell cycle arrest in G2/M phasein SKOV3 cells. 17-AAG increased cell apoptosis but did not change cell cycle in SKOV3/DDP cells. The mRNA and protein expression levels of various drug resistant related genes including LRP, GST-pi, p53, bcl-2, survivin, ERCC1, XRCC1, BRCA1 and BRCA2 were more dramatically altered by Hsp90 inhibitors and DDP in combination compared to Hsp90 inhibitors or DDP treatment alone. Conclusions: Exposure of SKOV3/DDP cells to Hsp90 inhibitors and DDP in combination results in synergistic cytotoxic and pro-apoptotic effects. Hsp90 inhibitors reverse the drug resistance of SKOV3/DDP cells to DDP by modifying the expression of multiple drug resistance related genes.