Analysis of the growth enhancing effect of L-ascorbic acid on human leukemic cells in culture.

The effect of L-ascorbic acid (LAA) on the in vitro colony growth of leukemic cells from the marrows of patients with acute nonlymphocytic leukemia was studied using a modified agar culture method featuring daily feeding. In 10 of 31 patients (32%) the growth was enhanced with supplementation of LAA in culture. The average number of colonies was reduced to 26% if LAA was deleted from culture. This growth enhancing effect appears to be specific to LAA: neither glutathione which has redox potential similar to LAA nor the acidification of culture medium with HCI to the pH of medium containing LAA is effective. This effect is also selective for leukemic marrows, and normal marrow colonies are not affected over wide range of LAA concentrations (0 to 300 microM) which are achievable in human in vivo.