title: Modulation of thiopurine cytotoxicity in the HL-60 cell line by physiological concentrations of hypoxanthine.
abstract: Thioguanine and mercaptopurine are clinically important agents in widespread use for the treatment of acute leukemia. In this study the effect of low, physiological concentrations of hypoxanthine on thiopurine cytotoxicity was examined in the HL-60 human acute promyelocytic leukemia cell line. Initially the effect of cell concentration on medium hypoxanthine levels was investigated. When 10(5) to 10(6) cells/ml were used, medium hypoxanthine concentrations fell to undetectable (less than 0.1 microM) levels by 24 h, due to cell utilization. However, when the cell density was reduced to 10(3) cells/ml, it was possible to maintain a medium hypoxanthine level as low as 0.5 microM for 24 h without significant hypoxanthine depletion. This allowed for the investigation of the extent to which physiological concentrations of hypoxanthine (1.0 to 10 microM) could modulate thiopurine cytotoxicity. HL-60 cells were incubated in medium containing from 1.0 to 100 microM hypoxanthine concentrations and varying levels of thioguanine or mercaptopurine for 24 h. Cells were then washed and cloned in soft agar. Physiological concentrations of hypoxanthine (1.0 to 10 microM) provided significant protection to HL-60 cells from the cytotoxic effects of both thioguanine and mercaptopurine. An increase in medium hypoxanthine level from 1.0 to 3.0 microM resulted in a 3-fold increase in the thiopurine concentration required to kill 50% of cells. There was a linear relationship between the thiopurine concentration required to reduce clonogenic survival by 50% and medium hypoxanthine level over the hypoxanthine concentrations studied. Although thioguanine was 200-fold more potent than mercaptopurine, and an analogue of guanine rather than hypoxanthine, there was a similar degree of modulation of the cytotoxicity of both agents by hypoxanthine. These results indicate that low, physiological hypoxanthine concentrations can significantly modulate thiopurine cytotoxicity and suggest that endogenous hypoxanthine pools may have an important effect on the clinical activity of thioguanine and mercaptopurine.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zimm
authors.forename: G E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: D G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Poplack
mesh_terms: D002452:Cell Count; D002460:Cell Line; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D006801:Humans; D019271:Hypoxanthine; D007042:Hypoxanthines / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015470:Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute / Q000473:pathology*; D015122:Mercaptopurine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013866:Thioguanine / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D007042:Hypoxanthines; D019271:Hypoxanthine; D015122:Mercaptopurine; D013866:Thioguanine