Clofibric acid: a potential therapeutic agent in AML and MDS

Differentiation therapy using retinoic acids (RAs) or 1α25-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.