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Updated: Jul 24, 2026

Pre-clinical Evaluation of Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors for Treatment of Acute Leukemia
10:49

Pre-clinical Evaluation of Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors for Treatment of Acute Leukemia

Published on: September 18, 2013

Inhibitory effect of a nucleoside analog, acyclovir, on leukemia cells

J Nishimaki1, K Miyazawa, A Gotoh

  • 1First Department of Internal Medicine, Tokyo Medical College, Japan.

Leukemia Research
|May 1, 1996
PubMed

Insights

Acyclovir (ACV) inhibits leukemia cell growth by altering the cell cycle, not by directly targeting BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase. This suggests a potential therapeutic role for ACV in leukemia treatment.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Pharmacology
  • Cell Biology

Background:

  • Acyclovir (ACV), a nucleoside analog, previously showed selective suppression of NIH3T3 fibroblastic cells transformed by v-abl or bcr-abl.
  • The clinical application of ACV for leukemia warrants investigation, particularly its effect on leukemia cells expressing BCR-ABL fusion proteins.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the inhibitory effect of Acyclovir (ACV) on the growth of leukemia cells expressing p210 BCR-ABL or p185BCR-ABL.
  • To explore the mechanism of ACV's action on leukemia cell proliferation.

Main Methods:

  • Treatment of OM9;22 cells (p185BCR-ABL expressing) with Acyclovir (ACV).
  • Assessment of BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase activity and expression levels post-ACV treatment.
  • Cell cycle analysis using flow cytometry to determine cell cycle phase distribution.

Main Results:

  • Acyclovir (ACV) demonstrated a dose-dependent inhibitory effect on OM9;22 leukemia cells.
  • No significant down-modulation of BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase activity or expression was observed after ACV treatment.
  • Cell cycle analysis revealed synchronization of OM9;22 cells at the G0/G1 phase, indicating cell cycle alteration.

Conclusions:

  • Acyclovir (ACV) inhibits leukemia cell growth, potentially through cell cycle alterations rather than direct inhibition of BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase.
  • While selective inhibition of Philadelphia chromosome-positive leukemia was not apparent, ACV presents a potential therapeutic strategy for leukemia treatment.

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