ZGDHu-1 induces G(2)/M phase arrest and apoptosis in Kasumi-1 cells

The present study examined the effects of N,N′-di-(m-methylphenyi)-3, 6-dimethyl-1, 4-dihydro-1,2,4,5-tetrazine-1,4-dicarboamide (ZGDHu-1), a novel oxazine derivative, in Kasumi-1 cells. Following incubation with various concentrations of ZGDHu-1, fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) was used in order to detect changes in mitochondrial membrane permeability in Kasumi-1 cells. Western blot analysis was performed in order to analyze the expression of nuclear factor-κB, inhibitor of κB and AML1/ETO. In addition FACS was used to analyze leukemia cell cycles and the expression levels of cyclin, cyclin-dependent kinases and cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors in G(2)/M phase were determined using FACS and western blot analysis. The upregulation of reactive oxygen species production and mitochondrial membrane permeability was ascribed to apoptosis. The growth of Kasumi-1 cells was inhibited through the downregulation of nuclear factor-κB, degradation of AML1/ETO fusion protein and cell cycle arrest at the G(2)/M phase. This study documented that G(2)/M regulatory molecules, including cyclin B1, cell division control (cdc)2 and cdc25c were downregulated and checkpoint kinase 1 (CHK1), p53, p27, phospho-cdc25c, phospho-CHK1 and phospho-p53 were upregulated following treatment with ZGDHu-1. In the present study, pretreatment with CHIR-124, a selective CHK1 inhibitor, abrogated G(2)/M arrest via ZGDHu-1. These results demonstrated the anti-tumor activity of ZGDHu-1, which may therefore a potential target for further investigation and may be useful for the treatment of patients with t(8;21) acute myeloid leukemia.