Comparing the Effects of Free and Liposomal Indole Compounds on Bax and Bcl2 Gene Expression Changes in the KG-1 Cell Line

Background:  For patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), the long-term survival rate is still very low. This study examines the effects on AML cell lines of an indole chemical in its free and liposomal forms. Material and Method: In this experimental case control study, an AML-originated KG-1 cell line was cultured in RPMI 1640 medium. The cells were treated with the free and liposomal forms of an indole compound (C18H10N2F6O) at different concentrations of 20, 40, 100, 200, and 400 µg/mL after they attained the proper confluence. The cellular metabolic activity was examined by an MTT assay. The expression of BAX and BCL-2 genes was investigated by q-PCR to assess the apoptotic effect of that compound. The analysis was also done between each experimental group and the control group using t-test. P<0.05 was assumed significant. Results: Based on the MTT assay, the lethal effective dose of free indole was found to be 245.1 µg/ml and 164.8 µg/ml in 24 and 48 hours, respectively. The corresponding values for liposomal indole were 47.2 µg/ml and 40.6 µg/ml. Furthermore, treatment with free and liposomal forms of indole resulted in a decline in the expression level of the BCL-2 gene. However, in the case of the liposomal compound, this decrease was only statistically significant after 48 hours of treatment (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the expression of BAX gene increased after treatment with both free and liposomal forms of indole, but it significantly increased only after treatment with the liposomal compound (p < 0.05). Conclusion: These results suggest that an indole derivative, especially when liposomal, causes apoptosis in AML cells, hence exhibiting cytotoxic effects. To confirm the potential usefulness of this indole derivative as a therapeutic agent for inhibiting tumor progression in the setting of human malignancies, more studies on physiologically relevant models are necessary.