Sensitivity of human leukemic cells to carvedilol

Background and Objective: Carvedilol, a non-specific β-blocker, has been used for treatment of hypertension, stroke and congestive heart failure. The therapeutic effects of β blockers in cancer patients have been shown. Carvedilol has considerable anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor and anti-angiogenic properties. In this study, the effects of carvedilol on proliferation of human U937 and Molt-4 leukemic cells were studied in vitro. Materials and Methods: Human leukemic T cells [Molt-4] and monocytes [U937] were cultured in Roswell Park Memorial Institute (RPMI) 1640 complete medium and were treated with different concentrations of carvedilol (1, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 μg/ml) for 24, 48 and 72 hours. The cytotoxicity of carvedilol on U937 and Molt-4 cells was determined using MTT (3-[4, 5 dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2, 5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) assay. Results: Carvedilol significantly decreased human U937 and Molt-4 leukemic cells proliferation, concentrationand time-dependently in comparison with control cells. Conclusion: According to our results, carvedilol has anti-proliferative effect on U937 and Molt-4 leukemic cells in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. Thus, carvedilol might be a useful candidate for treatment of leukemic patients as well as other cancers.