Aim: To determine unbalance in the system of programmed cell death in the cells CD34+ of the bone marrow (BM) and peripheral blood (PB) before and after cytostatic impact in acute leukemia (AL).
Material and methods: Flow cytoflowmetry estimated expression of Bcl-2, Bax, p53 and ACE in the cells CD34+ of BM and PB from 10 AL (4 AML and 6 ALL) patients. PB and BM samples were studied before polychemotherapy (PCT) and in the course of induction treatment: on day +8, +21 (blood only), +36 - 38. Control group consisted of 4 BM donors.
Results: The number of CD34+ cells expressing Bcl-2 in AL patients was 46,5 +/- 9,35 % in BM and 39,4 + 10,8 % in PB, in healthy donors - 9 and 32,8 %, respectively. Bax expression in AL patients' cells CD34+ of BM versus this expression in donors was 3 times higher (36,7 +/- 8,1 and 14,8%, respectively), of PC - 2 times lower (40,7 +/- 6,59 and 75,8%, respectively). Expression of p53 in AL patients was 36,8 +/- 9 % in BM and 26 +/- 7,4 % in PB, in donors - 28,2 and 65 %, respectively. ACE expression on the cells CD34+ in AL patients in early disease was 62 +/- 7,57 % in BM and 48 +/- 8,1 % in PB, in donors - 40 and 85 %, respectively. Moreover, there were significant changes in expression of Bcl-2 in BM and Bax, ACE and p53 in PB in the cells CD34+ in AL patients during and after induction PCT.
Conclusion: The above changes evidence for unbalance of pro- and antiapoptosis proteins of regulators in AL patients. PCT changes profile of expression of these proteins, but not to the level of healthy donors.