Combination of Ethacrynic Acid and ATRA Triggers Differentiation and/or Apoptosis of Acute Myeloid Leukemia Cells through ROS

All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA), an effective differentiation inducer, has been applied clinically to treat acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). Unfortunately, it is not as potent in other kinds of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Ethacrynic acid (EA), a classical powerful diuretic, can increase reactive oxygen species (ROS) contents, which can assist ATRA in inducing differentiation in AML cells. Here, we investigated the effect of EA combined with ATRA (EA+RA) on some AML cells except APL.