title: Quercetin and the growth of leukemic progenitors.
abstract: The bioflavonoid quercetin (3, 3', 4', 5-7-pentahydroxyflavone) inhibits in a dose-dependent manner the in vitro growth of acute leukemias and enhances the anti-proliferative activity of cytosine arabinoside. Quercetin exerts a blocking action of cell transition from the G0/G1 to the S phase of the cell cycle. Acute myeloid leukemias (AML)-M3,-M4 and -M5, and acute lymphoid leukemias (ALL) were more sensitive to quercetin than AML-M1 and -M2 subtypes. The sensitivity of leukemic progenitors to the growth inhibitory effect of quercetin significantly correlated with their clonogenic efficiency. We postulate that quercetin exerts its growth inhibitory action by interaction with type II estrogen binding sites and subsequent induction of Transforming Growth Factor-beta 1 expression and secretion. Finally quercetin is synergistic with hyperthermia in inducing apoptosis of leukemic cells sparing normal stem cell progenitors. Taken together these results stress the potential role of quercetin in the treatment of acute leukemias and its in vitro use in purging procedures for autologous bone marrow transplantation.
authors.affiliation: Istituti di Anatomia Patologica, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore., Roma, Italy.
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Larocca
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Teofili
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Maggiano
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Piantelli
authors.forename: F O
authors.initials: FO
authors.lastname: Ranelletti
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Leone
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006410:Hematopoiesis / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D007938:Leukemia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D011794:Quercetin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000378:metabolism; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000378:metabolism; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D014410:Tumor Stem Cell Assay
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta; D011794:Quercetin