Diverse resveratrol sensitization to apoptosis induced by anticancer drugs in sensitive and resistant leukemia cells.

Naturally occurring dietary compound resveratrol (RES), possessing chemopreventive and cytostatic properties, has been shown as potent sensitizer for apoptosis induced by a variety of anticancer drugs. Cell cycle analysis in sensitive promyelocytic leukemia HL60 cell line and its multidrug-resistant variant HL60/VCR (P-gp positive) treated with RES resulted in cell cycle arrest in S-phase in both cell variants. Flow cytometry measurements showed diverse activities of RES in combination with anticancer drugs doxorubicin (DOX), cycloheximide (CHX), busulfan (BUS), gemcitabine (GEM) and paclitaxel (PTX), in some cases resulting in apoptosis induction, preferentially at the expense of S-phase. Thus, RES could become a candidate to enhance the efficacy of combination anticancer therapy in a variety of human cancer cells inclusive leukemias.