[Proliferation and differentiation-inducing effects of aminosteroid H42648 on K562 leukemia cells].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the proliferation and differentiation-inducing effects of aminosteroid H42648 on K562 leukemia cells. METHODS: The effects of H42648 on K562 cell proliferation were determined by cell count, colony count and MTT assay, and the differentiation by morphology, benzidine stain and flow cytometry. RESULTS: The growth of K562 cells was inhibited after the treatment with H42648 for 5 days. The inhibition rates for K562 cells in MTT assay were (26.90+/-3.18)% and (43.26+/-2.54)% after the treatment by 10(-8)mol/L and 10(-6)mol/L H42648. The inhibitions for K562 cells in colony culture assay were (22.21+/-9.20)% and (48.71+/-8.24)% at 10(-8)mol/L and 10(-6)mol/L H42648, respectively. H42648 also induced K562 cells toward erythroid differentiation. It was verified by benzidine stain that the OD value at 10(-8)mol/L H42648 was increased by (153+/-17.65)% compared with the control, and at 10(-6)mol/L H42648 the OD value was increased by (250+/-4.60)% compared with the control. The morphology showed the differentiation tendency of K562 cells after the treatment. Data from flow cytometry showed that after the treatment with 10(-6)mol/L H42648 for 4 days, positive CD71 expression in differentiated K562 cells was 89.91%. CONCLUSION: H42648 can inhibit the proliferation of K562 cell lines and induce toward erythroid differentiation. H42648 may become a new lead for the differentiation-inducing therapy for leukemia.