Arsenic trioxide exhibits therapeutic effects on certain blood malignancies, at least partly by modulating cell differentiation. Previous in vitro studies in human hematopoietic progenitor cells have suggested that arsenic may inhibit erythroid differentiation. However, these effects were all observed in the presence of arsenic compounds, while the concomitant cytostatic and cytotoxic actions o...

BACKGROUND Arsenic trioxide (ATO) is highly effective in the treatment of patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). It is a chemotherapeutic agent that has been shown to induce apoptosis in several tumor cell lines. However, research into its effects on colon carcinoma cells is still very limited. We previously reported that ATO is cytotoxic and causes DNA damage in HT-29 human colorect...

Arsenic trioxide has been reported to inhibit cell growth and induce apoptotic cell death in many human cancer cells including breast cancer. However, the precise molecular mechanisms underlying the anti-tumor activity of arsenic trioxide are still largely unknown. In the present study, we assessed the effects of arsenic trioxide on cell viability and apoptosis in breast cancer cells. For mecha...

BACKGROUND Arsenic is a ubiquitous environmental toxicant, and abnormalities of the skin, lung, kidney, and liver are the most common outcomes of long-term arsenic exposure. This study was designed to investigate the possible mechanisms of genotoxicity induced by arsenic trioxide in human hepatocellular carcinoma cells. METHODS AND RESULTS A mild cytotoxic response of arsenic trioxide was obs...

BACKGROUND Arsenic Trioxide (ATO) is effective in about 20% of patients with myelodysplasia (MDS); its mechanisms of action have already been evaluated in vitro, but the in vivo activity is still not fully understood. Since ATO induces apoptosis in in vitro models, we compared the expression of 93 apoptotic genes in patients' bone marrow before and after ATO treatment. For this analysis, we sel...

Arsenic trioxide induces growth inhibition and apoptosis in multiple myeloma cell lines. Reducing glutathione by ascorbic acid may enhance the efficacy of arsenic trioxide. Here we report the results of an international multi-center study of arsenic trioxide in combination with ascorbic acid and dexamethasone as treatment for patients with advanced multiple myeloma.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Arsenic trioxide (ATO) has been reported to be a safe and effective treatment for relapsed acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity as well as the eligibility to stem cell transplantation (SCT) in a series of 7 patients with relapsing APL, managed with ATO. DESIGN AND METHODS Seven patients with relapsing APL...

We have shown previously that arsenic trioxide (ATO) preferentially shutsdown tumor blood flow, leading to pronounced cell death in the central part of the solid tumor with a minimal effect on the surrounding normal tissues. On the basis of the histopathological and tumor perfusion studies, we hypothesized that the tumor control rate of locally advanced solid tumors would increase after the com...

BACKGROUND Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) is a blood cancer that affects people of all ages and strikes about 1,500 patients in the United States each year. The standard treatment of APL has been based on the combined administration of all-trans retinoic acid and chemotherapy including anthracyclins and cytarabine. However, 10-20% of patients relapse, with their disease becoming resistant t...

BACKGROUND Arsenic is a ubiquitous environmental toxicant, and abnormalities of the skin are the most common outcomes of long-term, low-dose, chronic arsenic exposure. If the balance between keratinocyte proliferation, differentiation, and death is perturbed, pathologic changes of the epidermis may result, including psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, and certain forms of ichthyosis. Therefore, resea...