Effects of retinoic acid and amifostine on in vitro growth of normal hemopoietic progenitor cells.

Association of all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) and amifostine (AMF) might be an alternative in treatment of myelodisplastic syndromes. In this study we undertook a preliminary in vitro research on the effects of a combination of ATRA and AMF on normal hemopoietic progenitors. Mononuclear, non-adherent cells from peripheral blood of normal volunteers, were incubated with AMF, at a the concentration of 500 pM and then cultured for CFU-GM and BFU-E growth adding to culture dishes before gelling ATRA at the concentration 10 -6 and 10 - 12 M. Controls were cultures not pre-incubated with AMF, cultures incubated with AMF without addition of ATRA and cultures without addition of any drug. ATRA addition did not have significant effects on hemopoietic progenitors growth. Association of ATRA and AMF do not appear to synergize to stimulate in vitro growth of hemopoietic progenitors.