This study aimed to determine the relationship between the endogenous levels of P-glycoprotein (P-gp), multidrug resistance-associated protein (MRP), lung resistance-related protein (LRP), glutathione-s-transferase-π (GST‑π) and topoisomerase IIα (TopoIIα) and intrinsic drug resistance in four human lung cancer cell lines, SK-MES-1, SPCA-1, NCI-H-460 and NCI-H-446, of different histological types. The expression of P-gp, MRP, LRP, GST-π and TopoIIα was measured by immunofluorescence, Western blotting and RT-PCR. Drug resistance to cisplatin, doxorubicin and VP-16 was determined using MTT assays. The correlation between expression of the resistance-related proteins and their roles in the resistance to drugs in these cancer cell lines was analyzed. We found that the endogenous levels of P-gp, MRP, LRP, GST-π and TopoIIα in the four cell lines varied. The level of GST-π in the SK-MES-1 cells was the highest, whereas the level of P-gp in the SPCA-1 cells was the lowest. The chemoresistance to cisplatin, doxorubicin and VP-16 in the four cell lines was different. The SPCA-1 cell line was most resistance to cisplatin; SK-MES-1 was most resistance to VP-16; whereas SK-MES-1 was most sensitive to doxorubicin. There was a positive correlation between GST-π expression and resistance to cisplatin, between TopoIIα expression and resistance to VP-16; and a negative correlation was noted between TopoIIα expression and resistance to doxorubicin. In summary, the endogenous expression of P-gp, MRP, LRP, GST-π and TopoIIα was different in the four human lung cancer cell lines of different histological types, and this variance may be associated with the variation in chemosensitivity to cisplatin, doxorubicin and VP-16. Among the related proteins, GST-π may be useful for the prediction of the intrinsic resistance to cisplatin, whereas TopoIIα may be useful to predict resistance to doxorubicin and VP-16 in human lung cancer cell lines.

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