Celastrol Induces Cell Apoptosis and Inhibits the Expression of the AML1-ETO/C-KIT Oncoprotein in t(8;21) Leukemia

Resistance to chemotherapy is a major challenge to improving overall survival in Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). Therefore, the development of innovative therapies and the identification of more novel agents for AML are urgently needed. Celastrol, a compound extracted from the Chinese herb Tripterygium wilfordii Hook, exerts anticancer activity. We investigated the effect of celastrol in the t(8;21) AML cell lines Kasumi-1 and SKNO-1. We demonstrated that inhibition of cell proliferation activated caspases and disrupted mitochondrial function. In addition, we found that celastrol downregulated the AML1-ETO fusion protein, therefore downregulating C-KIT kinases and inhibiting AKT, STAT3 and Erk1/2. These findings provide clear evidence that celastrol might provide clinical benefits to patients with t(8;21) leukemia.