Clofibric acid: a potential therapeutic agent in AML and MDS

Differentiation therapy using retinoic acids (RAs) or 1alpha25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (D3) is an attractive alternative to chemotherapy in acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). However, with the exception of RA therapy for acute promyelocytic leukaemia (APL), RAs and D3 are not potent enough at doses that can be tolerated by patients. We demonstrate that clofibric acid (CA) enhances the response of HL60 cells to all-trans RA and D3. Our findings and those of others in the field lead us to suggest that combination therapy using all-trans RA and CA should be considered as potential therapy for AML and MDS.