Journal of

Background and Aim: APL is a Prevalent leukemia that Approximately included 5-10% of patients with acute myeloblastic leukemia. ATRA and recently arsenic is used for treatment. ATRA leadsto resistance to treatment and arsenic is toxic in high doses.AZT induce cell death in different ways. The purpose of this study was Assessment of effect of AZT, a telomerase inhibitor, on NB4 cell line (APL cell line) to reduce toxic effect of high dose arsenic.

Materials and Methods: In this study, viability and metabolic activityof NB4 cells, treated by different concentrations of AZT(50,100,200 µM), was assessed by trypan blue dye method and MTT assay respectively.

Results: Treated cells with AZT=50,100,200µM showed decreased viability, both in dose-dependent and time-dependent through trypan blue dye method and decreased cell metabolic activity by MTT assay.

Discussion and Conclusion: Considering that AZT is able to induce apoptosis and decrease cell activity, it seems AZT is a suitable drug for inhibiting the growth of tumor cells.

Background and Aim: Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) is a distinct subtype of acute myeloid leukemia. APL is characterized by a balanced reciprocal translocation between chromosomes 15 and 17, t(517)). Important therapeutic strategies for this disease are ATRA and Arsenic trioxide. To eliminate tumor cells with arsenic, high dose of arsenic is needed. But high dose is toxic for normal tissue. The purpose of this study is Assessment of effect of low dose of arsenic trioxide in combination with AZT on NB4 cell line (APL cell line) to reduce toxic effect of high dose arsenic.

Materials and Methods: In this study after NB4 cell line culture and proliferation, the cells treated with low dose of arsenic trioxide(0.5µM) in combination with different doses of AZT(50, 100, 200 µM) and then viability and metabolic activity was assessed by try pan blue and MTT assay respectively.

Results: Low dose of arsenic (0.5µm) alone and in combination with dose of 50µm of AZT has little effect on viability and metabolic activity but in combination with higher dose of AZT has significant effect on viability and metabolic activity and both viability and metabolic activity significantly reduced.

Conclusion: Different apoptosis- induced mechanisms cause apoptosis by arsenic and AZT. Since some of these mechanisms between AZT and arsenic are similar, so maybe these similar mechanisms cause synergic effect and significant reduction of viability and metabolic activity in combination of these two drugs.

Background and Aim: Acute leukemia is one of the main causes of cancer in the world. Now a days using natural materials as source of anticancer drugs is more recommended. HESA-A is a drug of herbal-marine origin (patented by Iranian researcher). HESA-A is composed of 50% inorganic substance، 45% organic substance (aminoenthraquinone) and 5% water. In this study effects of HESA-A، on NB4 cell line (Acute promyelocytic leukemia cells) was evaluated.

Materials and Methods: HESA-A was prepared in normal saline as a stock solution (80 mg/ml, PH=7.4), and then was sterilized. After culturing and proliferation of NB4 cell line, the cells were treated by doses of 1, 2, 4 and 8 mg/ml of HESA-A. Respectively after 72h, the percentage of viable and dead cells were counted by using Trypan blue staining in Neubanr hemocytometer. Then by MTTassay, the percentage of cell survival were determined by ELISA reader in 570nm. Finally the effects of HESA-A on apoptosis were evaluated by flocytometery.

Results: This invitro study shows that HESA-A has a cytotoxcic and antiprolifrative effects against NB4 cell line (Dose dependent).IC50 dose was 5mg/ml .HESA-A can result in apoptosis in 50% of the cells.

Conclusion: Although the mechanism of HESA-A cytotoxicity action is not known, yet this study shows that this drug may cause apoptosis of cells by dose dependent method.