Effects of Chemotherapeutic Agents on Metabolism of Human Acute Leukemia Cells in vitro.

Abstract

A method for studying the effects of known anti-leukemic agents on the glycolysis of intact leukemic leukocytes is reported. The possible applications of this method in evaluating other new and theoretically promising agents, and in selecting the most active agent in a particular clinical case, are indicated. Methotrexate and 6-mercaptopurine inhibited the aerobic glycolysis of acute lymphatic leukemia cells. Methotrexate did not inhibit the equally large aerobic glycolysis of acute myelogenous leukemia cells, and 6-mercaptopurine did so rarely. These metabolic findings parallel general clinical experience. The bearing of these findings on a new metabolic mechanism of action of certain cancer anti-metabolites (anti-folics and anti-purines) is pointed out.