Myeloid and monocytoid leukemia cells have different sensitivity to differentiation-inducing activity of deoxyadenosine analogs

• Published in: Leukemia research 2000, Vol.24 (1), p.1-9
• Main Authors: Niitsu, Nozomi, Umeda, Masanori, Honma, Yoshio
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 2'-deoxycoformycin; 9-^b-D-^Aarabinofuranosyladenine; Acute Disease; Adenosine Deaminase Inhibitors; Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic - pharmacology; Antineoplastic agents; Ara A; Biological and medical sciences; Calcitriol - pharmacology; Cell Differentiation - drug effects; Chemotherapy; Cladribine; Cladribine - pharmacology; Deoxyadenosines - pharmacology; Differentiation; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Drug Synergism; Enzyme Inhibitors - pharmacology; Fludarabine; Hematologic and hematopoietic diseases; HL-60 Cells - drug effects; Human myelomonocytic leukemia; Humans; K562 Cells - drug effects; Leukemia, Myeloid - drug therapy; Leukemia, Myeloid - pathology; Leukemias. Malignant lymphomas. Malignant reticulosis. Myelofibrosis; Medical sciences; Monocytes - drug effects; Neoplasm Proteins - antagonists & inhibitors; Neoplastic Stem Cells - drug effects; Pentostatin - pharmacology; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Tretinoin - pharmacology; Tumor Cells, Cultured - drug effects; U937 Cells - drug effects; Vidarabine - analogs & derivatives; Vidarabine - pharmacology
• ISSN: 0145-2126; 1873-5835
• DOI: 10.1016/S0145-2126(99)00143-5

The differentiation-inducing effect of clinically applicable analogs of deoxyadenosine on myelomonocytic leukemia cells was examined. Monocytoid leukemia cells were more sensitive to the analogs than were erythroid or myeloid leukemia cells based on the inhibition of cell growth and induction of cell differentiation. Monocytoid leukemia cells were highly sensitive to combined treatment with 2′-deoxycoformycin (dCF) and 9-β- d-arabinofuranosyladenine (Ara A) for inducing cell differentiation. Ara A induced the differentiation of monocytoid leukemia U937 and THP-1 cells at concentrations which were 1/1000–10 000 of that at which it induced the differentiation of other cell lines in the presence of dCF. In combination with a low concentration of 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D 3 (VD 3), the induction of the monocytic differentiation was greater in monoblastic U937 cells. Adenosine deaminase-resistant analogs such as fludarabine (FLU) and cladribine (CdA) also induced the differentiation of human myelomonocytic leukemia cells, and these analogs synergistically enhanced the differentiation induced by all- trans retinoic acid (ATRA) or VD 3. CdA was the most potent analog for inducing the differentiation of myeloid leukemia NB4 and HL-60 cells in the presence or absence of ATRA. These findings indicate that dCF+Ara A and CdA may be effective for the therapy of acute monocytoid and myeloid leukemia, respectively.