Inhibition of bone marrow myelopoiesis and erythropoiesis in vitro by anti-retroviral nucleoside derivatives

Abstract
We have studied the in vitro effects of nucleoside inhibitors of reverse transcriptase on bone marrow myeloid and erythroid progenitor development. Both 3''-azido-3''-deoxythymidine (AZT) and 2'',3''-dideoxycytidine (DDC) potently inhibited in vitro haematopoiesis, while 2'',3''-dideoxyadenosine (DDA) was less inhibitory in this culture system. Studies of candidate antiretroviral agents in bone marrow culture may predict clinical toxicity as well as lead to strategies for combination therapy which minimize impairment of haematopoiesis.