In Vitro Effect of Pomalidomide on Bone Marrow Mononuclear Cells From Multiple Myeloma Patients

Background: Many features of anticancer drugs, including cytotoxicity and/or cytokine induction, are studied using cell lines or human blood leukocytes. However, in a disease such as multiple myeloma, most cancerous cells are resided within bone marrow mononuclear cells. In the present study, we investigated the effect of pomalidomide on apoptosis and IL-2 production of bone marrow mononuclear cells in patients with multiple myeloma and controls. Materials and Methods: The Bone Marrow Mononuclear Cells from 10 multiple myeloma patients and 10 controls were cultured using pomalidomide for 48-hour. Apoptosis induction rate, viability, cytotoxicity, and IL-2 production were evaluated. Results: The results showed that apoptosis and cytotoxicity significantly increased in bone marrow mononuclear cells of multiple myeloma patients cultured in the presence of pomalidomide (PConclusion: The results of the current study confirmed the toxic effect of pomalidomide on bone marrow mononuclear cells of patients, with no toxic effect on controls. On the other hand, pomalidomide has the potential to increase IL2 production within bone marrow mononuclear cells and consequently make changes in the immune response, which requires further studies for more clarifications.