DETECTION OF APOPTOSIS IN KG-1A LEUKEMIC-CELLS TREATED WITH INVESTIGATIONAL DRUGS

Four investigational drugs, p-benzoquinone, primine, miconidine acetat e, and artesunate (dihydroqinghaosusuccinate), with growth inhibitory activity against flagellatae (e.g. trypanosoma, leptomonas, plasmodium ) were investigated for their capability to induce programmed cell dea th (apoptosis) in human KG-la leukemic cells. The results were compare d with those of three well established cytostatic agents (cisplatin, d aunorubicin, cytosine-arabinoside) and ionizing radiation. The antitum or activity of the drugs was validated by a cellular growth inhibition assay. The depletion of glutathione by these four investigational dru gs favours the hypothesis that formation of free radicals and subseque nt DNA strand breaks may be critical mechanisms of action and that the glutathione redox cycle is involved in detoxification of these reacti ve molecules.