J. Biol. Chem., Vol. 262, Issue 5, 2034-2041, Feb, 1987
Doxorubicin enhances complement susceptibility of human melanoma cells by extracellular oxygen radical formation
R Bredehorst, M Panneerselvam and CW Vogel
In two recent publications we showed that rapid inactivation of cell- bound
C3b is a protective mechanism of human melanoma cells against killing by
the R24 monoclonal antibody and human complement (Panneerselvam, M., Welt,
S., Old, L.J., and Vogel, C.-W. (1986) J. Immunol. 136, 2534-2541) and that
this protective mechanism can be inhibited by both the free and immobilized
anthracycline glycoside doxorubicin (adriamycin) resulting in an enhanced
complement susceptibility (Panneerselvam, M., Bredehorst, R., and Vogel,
C.-W. (1986) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 83, 9144-9148). In this paper we
show that the complement enhancing effect of both free and immobilized
doxorubicin is caused by the generation of reactive oxygen species
including superoxide anion radical, hydrogen peroxide, and hydroxyl
radical. The complement-enhancing effect of the anthracyclines can be
completely inhibited by the reactive oxygen scavengers superoxide
dismutase, catalase, and dimethyl sulfoxide. Consistent with this
observation, 5-iminodaunorubicin, an anthracycline glycoside with an
imine-substituted quinone moiety and, therefore, with a significantly
reduced ability to form oxygen radicals, did not cause an enhanced-
complement susceptibility. The complement-enhancing effect of the
anthracycline glycosides could also be inhibited by bivalent metal
chelators but was unaffected by sulfhydryl-blocking reagents or
glutathione. Our results suggest that the anthracycline glycosides generate
in a metal- (most probably iron) dependent reaction superoxide anion
radicals with subsequent formation of hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl
radicals. These reactive oxygen species then cause alterations in the
melanoma cells resulting in the enhanced complement susceptibility. While
the target molecule(s) of the reactive oxygen species responsible for the
enhanced complement susceptibility is not known, the data obtained with
immobilized doxorubicin suggest that the target molecule(s) is located in
the cell membrane.