Changes of reactive oxygen species in apoptosis induced by As_ 2O_ 3 in three leukemia cell lines

Objective Effect of the arsenic trioxide (As 2O 3) on apoptosis and the reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels in three leukemia cell lines NB4, K562 and HL-60 were investigated. Methods ROS were labeled by DCFH-DA and examined by flowcytometry. Results The As 2O 3 with 0.6 μmol/L treated for 72h induced 44.9 % apoptosis only in NB4 cells, however, when concentrations were increased to 2.7 and 8.1 μmol/L respectively, 58.3 % and 62.3 % apoptosis significantly exhibited in K562 and HL-60 cells. Under the above 3 concentrations of As 2O 3, the levels of ROS were sharply decreased in three leukemia cell lines. The effect of higher concentration of As 2O 3 with shorter time was similar to that of lower concentration with longer time. Conclusion The declines of ROS involved in apoptosis induced by As 2O 3.