Cyclosporin A induces erythroid differentiation of K562 cells through p38 MAPK and ERK pathways

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Structure-Guided Design and Development of Novel Cyclophilin A Inhibitors and Ganoderiol-F Derivatives: An In-Silico Approach
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Structure-Guided Design and Development of Novel Cyclophilin A Inhibitors and Ganoderiol-F Derivatives: An In-Silico Approach

Published on: June 23, 2026

Kanoko Sawafuji1, Yoshitaka Miyakawa, Masahiro Kizaki

  • 1Department of Internal Medicine, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.

American Journal of Hematology
|January 1, 2003
PubMed

We studied the effects of cyclosporin A (CsA) on the erythroid differentiation of human erythroid leukemia cell line K562. After K562 was treated with CsA for 4 days, the percentage of hemoglobinized cells was increased by 3.3 times. Because it was reported p38 MAPK (p38) and ERK are involved in erythropoietin-induced erythroid differentiation, we studied their roles using specific inhibitors. p38 inhibitor (SB203580) prevented CsA-induced hemoglobin synthesis in K562 cells, although MEK/ERK inhibitor (U0126) enhanced it by 3.3 times in K562 cells. These results indicate activation of p38 and inactivation of ERK are involved in CsA-induced erythroid differentiation of K562 cells.

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