Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 23, 2026
Modeling Chemotherapy Resistant Leukemia In Vitro
Published on: February 9, 2016
In Vitro Anticancer Effects of Two New Potent Hydrazide Compounds on Leukemic Cells
Shahrzad Tavakolfar, Elham Mousavi, Ali Almasirad
1Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, P.O. Box 13164, Iran. salimimona@pasteur.ac.ir.
Background:
Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), also recognized as chronic myelogenous leukemia, is initiated in some types of blood-forming cells of the bone marrow. The therapeutic approach to CML is usually chemotherapy; however, severe side effects and complications are major problems in the clinical research. Thus, recent efforts have focused on the search for compounds affecting apoptosis in this type of cancer.
Objective:
In this study, in vitro anticancer activity of two compounds (A and B) consisting of a hydrazide backbone with nitro-thiophen and furan substituents was assessed against K562 cell line displaying certain levels of sensitivity to pro-apoptotic compounds.
Methods:
The anticancer activity was assessed using MTT assay, flowcytometry, annexin-V and Western blot analysis.
Results:
Compounds A and B were both active and revealed a remarkable in vitro cytotoxic effect showing IC50 values of 0.09 and 0.07 μM, respectively, after 72 h of treatment. A significant increase in annexin-V/PI staining, sub-G1 population and Bax/Bcl-2 ratio revealed the apoptotic cell death of compounds A- and B-treated K562 cells.
Conclusion:
The results presented here could be used as a first step for the development of powerful chemotherapeutic agents to treat leukemia.
Related Concept Videos
02:49Cancer Therapies
However, cancer treatments can pose several challenges, as therapies used to kill cancer cells are generally also toxic to normal cells. Moreover, cancer cells mutate rapidly and can develop resistance to chemical agents or radiation therapy. Besides, all types of cancer cells may not respond to the same therapy. Some cancer cells respond to one...
02:50Combination Therapies and Personalized Medicine
The combination of the drug acetazolamide and sulforaphane is a good example of combination therapy to treat cancer. The cells in the interior of a large tumor often die due to the hypoxic and...