Quercetin and flavopiridol, both flavonoids which influence oxidative milieu, proliferation, and apoptosis of various cell types, were examined for their effects on acute myelogenous leukemic cells and normal progenitors. Both quercetin and flavopiridol inhibited the growth and viability of various acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) cell lines and AML blasts isolated afresh from patients with AML of various subtypes. The effects on inhibition of proliferation and decreased viability were also significant in normal CD34+ cells isolated from normal marrow donors. In certain AML cases, the effects of flavopiridol appeared to be mediated through activation of caspase 3, offering one possible mechanism for the apoptosis evident after exposure to flavopiridol as measured by annexin V expression. These flavonoid compounds might find use in various therapeutic settings in AML.
aDepartment of Medicine, James P. Wilmot Cancer Center, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA
bGreenebaum Cancer Center, The University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD, USA
Corresponding author. Present address: Bux Fuy Strong Memorial Hospital, University of Rochester, 601 Elmwood Avenue, Rochester, NY 14642, USA. Tel.: +1-585-275-4099; fax: +1-585-273-1051.
☆ Supported by ACS grant DHP-173. JLL is a Clinical Scholar of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of America.
ABSTRACT