Melatonin Enhances the Chemotherapeutic Effect of Cytarabin in HL-60 Cells

The combined effect of melatonin and cytarabin at low concentration on the cells of acute promyelocytic leukemia HL-60 was studied. It has been shown that the combined effect of these substances led to a decrease in the number of cells by 70% and the mitotic activity index by 75%. It was found that the combined effect of melatonin and cytarabin also contributed to a decrease in the expression of mitochondrial proteins. It has been demonstrated that the combined use of melatonin with low concentration of cytarabin (2 nM) reduced the expression of the voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC1). Melatonin in combination with cytarabin similarly affected the expression of translocator protein (TSPO) and antiapoptotic protein Bcl-2. The synergistic effect of melatonin in the combined action with cytarabin has been revealed, which provides an increase in the effectiveness of its antitumor action.