ABSTRACT
To study the role of hematopoietic microenvironment abnormality in development of minimal residual disease and its mechanism, the viability of HL-60 cells was investigated by means of bone marrow stromal cell culture system or co-culture system of bone marrow stromal cell with HL-60 cells and idarubicin (IDA), flow cytometry and ELISA. The results showed that viability of HL-60 cells gradually decreased along with the increase of IDA dose and prolongation of culture time. Amount of HL-60 cells co-cultured with leukemia bone marrow stramal cells was significantly increased as compared with that of the control (P < 0.05). Bone marrow stromal cells or stromal cell conditioned medium reduced the effect of IDA on HL-60 cells in culture. In conclusion, leukemia bone marrow stromal cells contribute to increasing resistance of HL-60 cells to chemotherapeutic agents, and play some role in developing minimal residual disease.