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pubmed:abstractText |
The sensitivity of human leukemia K562 cells to cancer chemotherapeutic drugs during induction of erythroid differentiation of the cells by hemin was examined. Treatment with hemin greatly increased the sensitivity of the cells to 1-beta-D-arabinofuranosylcytosine (ara-C) but did not affect their sensitivities to other chemotherapeutic drugs, including Adriamycin, daunomycin, hydroxyurea, methotrexate, and vincristine. Thymidine and deoxyguanosine, which are known to potentiate the antileukemic effects of ara-C in K562 cells, also induced erythroid differentiation of K562 cells, but other inducers, such as sodium butyrate and delta-aminolevulinic acid, did not increase the sensitivity of K562 cells to ara-C. Hemin did not enhance the sensitivity to ara-C of other leukemia cell lines (Friend erythroleukemic cells, myeloid leukemic M1 cells, and promyelocytic leukemia HL-60 cells). These results indicate that some inducers of erythroid differentiation of K562 cells potentiate the antileukemic effect of ara-C on K562 cells.
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