title: Vitamin D protects acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells from dexamethasone.
abstract: Vitamin D deficiency has been linked with increased cancer risk, and vitamin D has been shown to be cytotoxic to some cancer cells in vitro. In the present study we evaluated whether vitamin D would have antiproliferative or cytotoxic effects on human pre-B acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells. Contrary to our hypotheses, calcitriol, the active form of vitamin D, had no effect on leukemia cell proliferation. Calcitriol actually had a modest effect to impair dexamethasone cytotoxicity and induction of apoptosis. Further studies are needed to evaluate the effects of vitamin D on leukemia cells in vivo.
authors.affiliation: Children's Center for Cancer and Blood Diseases, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Reuben
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Antony
authors.forename: Xia
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Sheng
authors.forename: Ehsan A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Ehsanipour
authors.forename: Emily
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ng
authors.forename: Rocky
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pramanik
authors.forename: Lars
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Klemm
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ichihara
authors.forename: Steven D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Mittelman
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D002117:Calcitriol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D003907:Dexamethasone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D015452:Precursor B-Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D003907:Dexamethasone; D002117:Calcitriol