Chloramphenicol-a possible role in the treatment of leukaemia?

• Published in: Medical journal of Australia Vol. 1; no. 19; p. 687
• Main Authors: Schwarz, M A, Firkin, B G
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Australia 08-05-1976
• Subjects: Anemia, Hemolytic - metabolism; Anemia, Hypochromic - metabolism; Anemia, Megaloblastic - metabolism; Bone Marrow - metabolism; Chloramphenicol - pharmacology; Chloramphenicol - therapeutic use; Deoxyuridine - pharmacology; Depression, Chemical; DNA - biosynthesis; DNA, Neoplasm - biosynthesis; Female; Humans; In Vitro Techniques; Leukemia, Myeloid - drug therapy; Leukemia, Myeloid - metabolism; Middle Aged; Thymidine - metabolism
• ISSN: 0025-729X
• DOI: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.1976.tb140975.x

The effect of chloramphenicol in short term in-vitro bone marrow cultures was studied. There was a striking reduction in the incorporation of tritiated thymidine into DNA in bone marrow cultures with abnormal proliferative properties as compared with normal tissue. A 50% reduction in DNA thymidine incorporation in leukaemia marrow was also obtained with in-vitro chloramphenicol concentrations which in contrast had little or no effect in normal tissue. These in-vitro levels of the antibiotic can be readily achieved in vivo. An in-vivo study confirmed the ability of chloramphenicol to reduce the white cell and blast count in a patient with chronic myeloid leukaemia in blastic transformation.