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Synergistic interactions between differentiation-inducing agents in inhibiting the proliferation of HL-60 human myeloid leukaemia cells in clonogenic micro assays

  • Original Papers
  • Experimental Oncology
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Summary

All-trans-retinoic acid, hexamethylene bisacetamide and 5-azacytidine are inducers of granulocytic differentiation of HL-60 human myeloid leukaemic cells, which eventually leads to inhibition of cell proliferation. The effect of graded concentrations of all-trans-retinoic acid (RA) (1 nM-1 ΜM), hexamethylene bisacetamide (HMBA) (0.5–4 mM) and/or 5-azacytidine (5azaC) (1 nM-1 mM), alone and in combination with each other on colony formation and growth of HL-60 cells was studied in agar capillary clonogenic micro assays in order to identify new potential therapeutic regimens for elderly patients with acute myeloid leukaemia. ED90 concentrations, inducing 90% inhibition of colony formation for RA, HMBA and 5azaC, were 128 nM, 2.7 mM and 40 ΜM, respectively. The drug interactions between these differentiating agents were analysed by Berenbaum's general algebraic solution. The combinations: RA + HMBA, 5azaC + HMBA and RA + 5azaC were significantly synergistic in inhibiting HL-60 colony formation. Their interaction indices were 0.62, 0.83, and 0.97, respectively, at a specific effect level of 15%. The addition of 1 mM HMBA to 100 nM 5azaC- and 1 nM RA-treated cultures significantly increased the colony-formation inhibition from only 2.6% and 7.0% to 46.4%, and 43.1 %, respectively. Also, HMBA showed marked synergism with RA and 5azaC in inhibiting colony growth. The interaction indices (I) of HMBA + RA and HMBA + 5azaC were 0.013 and 0.009, respectively, at the same specific level of 15%. Moreover, the triple combination of RA + HMBA + 5azaC showed synergism in inhibiting both the colony formation (I=0.7) and colony growth (I=0.4) at the same specific level of 15%. Since RA, HMBA and 5azaC were effective when administered alone in phase I clinical trials of myeloid leukaemic patients, their synergistic combinations could provide shorter and less toxic courses of treatment in elderly myeloid leukaemic patients.I is < 1, =1 or > 1 in synergistic, additive or antagonistic interactions, respectively.

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Abbreviations

AML:

acute myeloid leukaemia

5-azaC:

5-azacytidine

HMBA:

hexamethylene bisacetamide

RA:

all-trans-retinoic acid

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Hassan, H.T., Veit, A. & Maurer, H.R. Synergistic interactions between differentiation-inducing agents in inhibiting the proliferation of HL-60 human myeloid leukaemia cells in clonogenic micro assays. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 117, 227–231 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01625429

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01625429

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