GHRH is a hypothalamic peptide shown to stimulate the proliferation of malignant cells in humans. We have previously shown that the use of GHRH antagonist MIA-602 successfully suppressed the growth of many human cancer cell lines, spanning more than 20 types of cancers. In this study, we demonstrate the presence of GHRH-R in the NB4, NB4-RAA, and K-562 model cell lines. Furthermore, we demonstrate the inhibited proliferation of all three cell lines in vitro after incubation with MIA-602. The treatment of xenografts of human APL cell lines with MIA-602 led to a significant reduction in tumor growth. Additionally, combination therapy with both doxorubicin (DOX) and MIA-602 showed a marked synergistic effect in reducing the proliferation of the K-562 AML cell line. These findings suggest that MIA-602 could be utilized to address resistance to all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) and arsenic trioxide (ATO) therapies, as well as in augmenting anthracycline-based regimens.
Keywords: AML; APL; MIA-602; growth hormone releasing hormone; resistance.