The modulatory effect of green tea catechin on drug resistance in human ovarian cancer cells

Numerous in vitro and in vivo studies have demonstrated the antiproliferative effect of green tea. It has been speculated that one of its compounds — catechin, may affect multidrug resistance (MDR) phenomena. We examined the effect of catechin and cisplatin on human ovarian cancer cells’ SKOV-3 viability. It was also studied whether preincubation with catechin modulates drug resistance revealed by SKOV-3 cells. Catechin at concentrations up to 200 µM has been shown to be slightly toxic to the tested cells. Analysis of cells after preincubation with catechin revealed increased cytotoxicity of cisplatin compared to the cells treated only with cytostatic and changed expression of MDR-related proteins. Pre-treatment with catechin enhanced cisplatin cytotoxicity by promoting apoptosis and changing activity of membrane proteins involved in drug metabolism, uptake and efflux, especially P-glycoprotein, GST, LRP and BCRP. The obtained results and available reports prove that catechin and its derivatives can potentially be used in chemotherapy as a modulator of MDR phenomena.