ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: G-CSF or GM-CSF was frequently used in treatment of acute myeloid leukemia patients. But it has been argued whether this increases the apoptosis of tumor cells in synergy with chemotherapeutic agent, or decreases apoptosis of leukemic cells. We attempted to determine the effect of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) on leukemic cell line after cytosine arabinoside (Ara-C) treatment. METHODS: KG-1 and HL60 cell lines were incubated with Ara-C for 48 hours, and then washed with media, divided into two groups, one being with the addition of G-CSF and the other being without G-CSF and incubated for another 48 hours. The controls were the same cell lines incubated without Ara-C. The absolute cell counts and apoptotic percentage measured by flowcytometry after stained with 7-aminoactinomycin D (7-AAD) were compared among three groups at 0, 48, and 96 hours. RESULTS: KG-1 cell line showed decreased cell count and increased apoptotic percent in Ara-C/G-CSF and Ara-C group compared with the control group at 48 and 96 hours, and did not showed significant difference between G-CSF group and nonG-CSF group. In HL60, control group showed higher cell count at 48 hours, and G-CSF/Ara-C group showed lower cell count and higher apoptosis than Ara-C group in all trials. CONCLUSIONS: The treatment of G-CSF after Ara-C did not protect apoptosis nor increase the tumor cells in KG-1 and HL60 cell lines. We concluded it would be safe to use G-CSF after administration of chemotherapeutic drug.