Celecoxib Prevents Doxorubicin-Induced Multidrug Resistance in Canine and Mouse Lymphoma Cell Lines

BACKGROUND: Treatment of malignancies is still a major challenge in human and canine cancer, mostly due to the emergence of multidrug resistance (MDR). One of the main contributors of MDR is the overexpression P-glycoprotein (Pgp), which recognizes and extrudes various chemotherapeutics from cancer cells. METHODS: To study mechanisms underlying the development of drug resistance, we established an in vitro treatment protocol to rapidly induce Pgp-mediated MDR in cancer cells. Based on a clinical observation showing that a 33-day-long, unplanned drug holiday can reverse the MDR phenotype of a canine diffuse large B-cell lymphoma patient, our aim was to use the established assay to prevent the emergence of drug resistance in the early stages of treatment. RESULTS: We showed that an in vitro drug holiday results in the decrease of Pgp expression in MDR cell lines. Surprisingly, celecoxib, a known COX-2 inhibitor, prevented the emergence of drug-induced MDR in murine and canine lymphoma cell lines. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that celecoxib could significantly improve the efficiency of chemotherapy by preventing the development of MDR in B-cell lymphoma.