Effect of Berbamine Combined with Ibrutinib on the Proliferation and Apoptosis of Acute Myeloid Leukemia Cells

Abstract

To investigate the effects of the combination of berbamine (BBM) and ibrutinib on the proliferation and apoptosis of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells and the mechanism of combined action. The AML cell lines were treated with BBM, ibrutinib and the combination of the two drugs respectively, CCK-8 method was used to detect the cell proliferation inhibition rate of each group and calculate the combination index (CI). The cell apoptosis in each group was detected by flow cytometry. Western blot was used to determine the expression of related proteins in each group. The cell viability in the combination group was significantly reduced, and the CI value of ED50/ED75/ED90<1. The expression of apoptotic related protein in the combination group was significantly up-regulated, while the expression of p-BTK, p-AKT, CREB, GSK3β and BCL-XL were significantly down-regulated. BBM and ibrutinib can synergistically inhibit the proliferation of AML cells and promote the apoptosis of AML cells. BBM and ibrutinib may play a synergistic effect through the p-BTK/p-AKT/CREB and GSK3β/BCL-XL signaling pathways.