EFFECTS OF DIPYRIDAMOLE AND R-VERAPAMIL ON INVITRO PROLIFERATION OF BLAST CELLS FROM PATIENTS WITH ACUTE MYELOGENOUS LEUKEMIA

Cytokine-dependent AML cell proliferation was investigated in 16 patie nts. Dipyridamole and R-verapamil caused a dose-dependent inhibition o f AML cell proliferation, and for both drugs the degree of inhibition was similar when testing various haematopoietic growth factors or grow th factor combinations (IL3, G-CSF, GM-CSF, G-CSF + GM-CSF, TNF-alpha + GM-CSF). TNF-alpha alone increased AML cell proliferation for five p atients, whereas four patients showed unaltered or decreased prolifera tion. Independent of this TNF-alpha effect, R-verapamil inhibited prol iferation for all AML patients in the presence of TNF-alpha, whereas d ipyridamole caused only a weak inhibition.