Objective: To investigate the effects of AMPK agonist Acadesine (AICAR) on growth inhibition of K562 cells and their sensitivity to imatinib (IM).
Methods: K562 cells were cultured with different concentrations of AICAR alone or its combination with IM for 48 hours, the CCK-8 assay was used to detect cell proliferation, the cell cycle distribution and apoptosis were analyzed by flow cytometry. The expression levels of Cyclin D1, Cyclin E1 and Caspase 3 protein were determined by Western blot.
Results: AICAR inhibited the proliferation of K562 cells in dose-dependent manner, and their IC50 value was 0.45 mmol/L at 48 hours. AICAR could induce arrest of K562 cells in G1 phase and down-regulated the protein expression levels of Cyclin D1 and Cyclin E1; whereas it didn't influence the cell apoptosis. Additionally, the growth inhibition of cells induced by IM was enhanced by AICAR.
Conclusion: AICAR can inhibit the proliferation of K562 cells by arresting the cell cycle and enhancing the sensitivity of K562 cells to IM.