Arsenic trioxide induces apoptosis in chronic myelogenous leukemia K562 cells: possible involvement of p38 MAP kinase.

Arsenic trioxide (As(2)O(3)) was recently demonstrated to be an effective inducer of apoptosis in patients with relapsed acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) as well as in patients with APL in whom all-trans-retinoic acid and conventional chemotherapy failed. Chronic myelogenous leukemia cells are highly resistant to chemotherapeutic drugs. To determine if As(2)O(3) might be useful for the treatment of chronic myelogenous leukemia, we examined the ability of As(2)O(3) to induce apoptosis in K562 cells.