Aim: To explore the relationship between the ultraweak luminescence and adriamycin resistantance in human leukemic cells (HL-60) and human adriamycin resistant leukemic cells (HL-60/ADM).
Methods: MTT colorimetry, flow cytometry (FCM), growth curve and immunohistochemical staining were used to detect the sensitivity of HL-60 and HL-60/ADM cells to ADM, the change of cell cycle and the expression of P-glycoprotein(P-gp170). The intensity of the ultraweak luminescence of HL-60 cells and HL-60/ADM cells was examined by the IFFM-D chemiluminescence instrument.
Results: The sensitivity of HL-60/ADM cells to ADM was distinctly lower than that of HL-60 cells. The percentage of HL-60/ADM cells in G(0)/G(1) was 44.80%+/-1.97% and that in G(2)/M phase was 9.90%+/-0.27%, which was both higher than that of HL-60 cells. The percentage of HL-60/ADM cells in S phase was 45.30%+/-1.93%, which was lower than that of HL-60 cells. The doubling time of HL-60/ADM cells was 1.8 times as long as that of HL-60 cells. The expression of P-gp170 was positive in HL-60/ADM cells but negative in HL-60 cells.Treated with 10(-4) mol/L luminol and 3 mL/L H(2)O(2) and under four different cell concentration (8x10(7)/L,1x10(8)/L,1.26x10(8)/L, 2.73x10(8)/L), the intensity of ultraweak luminescence of HL-60/ADM cells was distinctly lower than that of HL-60 cells (P<0.05).
Conclusion: The lower sensitivity to ADM, longer doubling time and the expression of P-gp170 showed the drug resistance of HL-60/ADM cells. With the obtaining of drug resistance, ultraweak luminescence intensity was lower in HL-60/ADM cells than that of HL-60 cells. It showed that the decreasing of intensity of ultraweak luminescence could be an index of examining drug-resistantce of tumor cells.