E-Book

E-Book 2nd Congress

  • The effect of plasma membrane xc− cystine transporter inhibition on the cell death of acute lymphoblastic leukemia cell line
  • Muhammad Hossein Ashoub,1 Ali-Reza Farsinejad,2,* Parisa Mohammadi,3
    1. Department of Hematology and Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Allied Medicine, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
    2. Department of Hematology and Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Allied Medicine, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
    3. Student Research Committee, Faculty of Allied Medicine, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran


  • Introduction: Oxidative stress has a crucial causative and contributing role in the development and progression of leukemia. Sulfasalazine (SSZ) is an anti-inflammatory drug for ulcerative colitis or rheumatoid arthritis with potent xc− inhibitory properties. Thus, in this study, the effects of Sulfasalazine on cell death of the acute lymphoblastic leukemia cell line were investigated.
  • Methods: The Nalm-6 cell line (ALL) and PBMCs (Normal cells) were cultured with various Sulfasalazine concentrations for 24, 48, and 72 hours. Afterward, the cell viability and metabolic activity were evaluated via trypan blue and MTT assays. In addition, the apoptosis, ROS, and Gene's expression were assessed using Flow cytometry and qRT-PCR, respectively.
  • Results: Our findings revealed that Sulfasalazine applied apoptotic and growth-inhibitory effects in a dose- and time-dependent manner with elevation in ROS levels in Nalm-6 cells, whereas it had no significant impact on the viability of PBMCs. Moreover, Gene's expression analysis showed a remarkable elevation in the Bax and a reduction in Bcl-2 genes compared with the control group.
  • Conclusion: Given the apoptotic effects of Sulfasalazine on leukemic cells, our study suggests a promising therapeutic strategy for ALL treatments.
  • Keywords: ALL; Sulfasalazine; Oxidative stress; Apoptosis.