A new method to induce multi-drug resistance to carboplatin in a mouse model of human tongue squamous cell carcinoma

Multi-drug resistance (MDR) in human head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) constitutes a major obstacle to the effectiveness of chemotherapy. In previous studies, MDR was mainly induced in vitro. The authors report a novel in vivo method of inducing MDR in nude mice with xenotransplanted Tca8113 cells. Carboplatin, a chemotherapeutic agent used to treat HNSCC, was injected around the tumors for 10 weeks. A subsequent cell survival assay of dissociated tumor cells suggested that MDR had been induced successfully. Immunocytochemistry, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analysis showed that the expression levels of MDR-related proteins, including topoisomerase II, MRP and glutathione transferase, were elevated in the induction group. The authors conclude that in vivo induction of MDR provides a useful method for establishing animal models of MDR.