All-trans retinoic acid synergizes with topotecan to suppress AML cells via promoting RARα-mediated DNA damage

BACKGROUND: Chemotherapy is the only therapy option for the majority of AML patients, however, there are several limitations for this treatment. Our aim was to find a new chemotherapy strategy that is more effective and less toxic. METHODS: MTT assays and a xenograft mouse model were employed to evaluate the synergistic activity of all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) combined with topotecan (TPT). Drug-induced DNA damage and apoptosis were determined by flow cytometry analysis with PI and DAPI staining, the comet assay and Western blots. Short hairpin RNA (shRNA) and a RARα plasmid were used to determine whether RARα expression influenced DNA damage and apoptosis. RESULTS: We found that ATRA exhibited synergistic activity in combination with Topotecan in AML cells, and the enhanced apoptosis induced by Topotecan plus ATRA resulted from caspase pathway activation. Mechanistically, ATRA dramatically down regulated RARα protein levels and led to more DNA damage and ultimately resulted in the synergism of these two agents. In addition, the increased antitumor efficacy of Topotecan combined with ATRA was further validated in the HL60 xenograft mouse model. CONCLUSIONS: Our data demonstrated, for the first time, that the combination of TPT and ATRA showed potential benefits in AML, providing a novel insight into clinical treatment strategies. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12885-015-2010-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.