Theophylline, a new inducer of apoptosis in B-CLL: role of cyclic nucleotides.
We report a case of indolent B-chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (B-CLL) in a stage A patient, treated for 10 years only by theophylline for bronchial asthma. As suggested by the spontaneous apoptosis in the patient's blood (10%), theophylline at 50 micrograms/ml increased spontaneous apoptosis after 72 h in culture by a mean percentage of 90% (range 79-98%) in six B-CLL cases studied in vitro. This effect was partially reversed with Rp-cAMP, a cAMP antagonist, which implies a potent role for this second messenger. We describe a new property of theophylline, which might be an alternative treatment in B-CLL.
Mentz
F
F
Département d'Hématologie, Unité Claude Bernard C20, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France.
Merle-Beral
H
H
Ouaaz
F
F
Binet
J L
JL
D000368:Aged; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000473:pathology; D000242:Cyclic AMP / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015451:Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D008231:Lymphopenia; D013806:Theophylline / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013873:Thionucleotides / Q000494:pharmacology
D013873:Thionucleotides; C016957:adenosine-3',5'-cyclic phosphorothioate; D013806:Theophylline; D000242:Cyclic AMP