Review
Circumvention of multi-drug resistance of cancer cells by Chinese herbal medicines
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* Corresponding author: Ge Lin linge@cuhk.edu.hk
1 School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR, China
2 School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR, China
Chinese Medicine 2010, 5:26 doi:10.1186/1749-8546-5-26
Published: 25 July 2010Abstract
Multi-drug resistance (MDR) of cancer cells severely limits therapeutic outcomes. A proposed mechanism for MDR involves the efflux of anti-cancer drugs from cancer cells, primarily mediated by ATP-binding cassette (ABC) membrane transporters including P-glycoprotein. This article reviews the recent progress of using active ingredients, extracts and formulae from Chinese medicine (CM) in circumventing ABC transporters-mediated MDR. Among the ABC transporters, Pgp is the most extensively studied for its role in MDR reversal effects. While other MDR reversal mechanisms remain unclear, Pgp inhibition is a criterion for further mechanistic study. More mechanistic studies are needed to fully establish the pharmacological effects of potential MDR reversing agents.