Adriamycin Alters the Expression of Drug Efflux Pumps and Confers Amphotericin B Tolerance in Candida albicans

Abstract

The aim of the work presented here was to establish whether exposure of the yeast C. albicans to adriamycin altered the expression of the CDR1 drug efflux pump and consequently altered the susceptibility of the yeast to amphotericin B. Using a monoclonal antibody directed against human MDR 1 and polyclonal antibodies against CDR 1 (Candida drug resistance), we demonstrated that adriamycin induces an elevation in the expression of the CDR1 efflux pump which, together with previously recorded alterations in the composition of the fungal cell membrane, may confer tolerance to amphotericin B. This work highlights the fact that adriamycin therapy may inadvertently alter the susceptibility of C. albicans to amphotericin B, which may have deleterious consequences for anti-cancer chemotherapy regimes incorporating this anti-neoplastic agent.