Clinical application of a rapid, functional assay for multidrug resistance based on accumulation of the fluorescent dye, fluo-3.

1993-05-16

Wall, D M

Sparrow, R

Hu, X F

Nadalin, G

Zalcberg, John R

Marschner, I C

Van der Weyden, M

Parkin, John Desmond

Journal Article

A rapid and simple functional assay for P-glycoprotein (Pgp) using flow cytometry to measure the accumulation of the flurophore fluo-3 has been applied to samples from patients with B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (B-CLL). Peripheral blood lymphocytes from 37 patients with B-CLL were studied for Pgp. Pgp expression, using MRK-16, a monoclonal antibody recognising an external surface epitope of Pgp, was detected in 92% of patients with B-CLL. The functional assays for Pgp expression were positive in 78 and 59% of patients using the fluo-3 and doxorubicin (dox) assays, respectively. When compared with the MRK-16 assay, the fluo-3 assay had a sensitivity of 82% compared to a sensitivity of 56% for the dox assay (P = 0.004). The specificity of the fluo-3 and dox assays could not be evaluated because of the low number of MRK-16 negative CLL cells.

link

European Journal of Cancer (oxford, England : 1990); 29A(7): 1024-7

European journal of cancer (Oxford, England : 1990)