title: Chloramphenicol-a possible role in the treatment of leukaemia?
abstract: The effect of chloramphenicol in short term in-vitro bone marrow cultures was studied. There was a striking reduction in the incorporation of tritiated thymidine into DNA in bone marrow cultures with abnormal proliferative properties as compared with normal tissue. A 50% reduction in DNA thymidine incorporation in leukaemia marrow was also obtained with in-vitro chloramphenicol concentrations which in contrast had little or no effect in normal tissue. These in-vitro levels of the antibiotic can be readily achieved in vivo. An in-vivo study confirmed the ability of chloramphenicol to reduce the white cell and blast count in a patient with chronic myeloid leukaemia in blastic transformation.
mesh_terms: D000743:Anemia, Hemolytic / Q000378:metabolism; D000747:Anemia, Hypochromic / Q000378:metabolism; D000749:Anemia, Megaloblastic / Q000378:metabolism; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000378:metabolism*; D002701:Chloramphenicol / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004247:DNA / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000096:biosynthesis; D003857:Deoxyuridine / Q000494:pharmacology; D003864:Depression, Chemical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007951:Leukemia, Myeloid / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D008875:Middle Aged; D013936:Thymidine / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D004273:DNA, Neoplasm; D002701:Chloramphenicol; D004247:DNA; D013936:Thymidine; D003857:Deoxyuridine