A novel retinoic acid analog, 4-Amino-2-Trifluoromethyl-Phenyl Retinate (ATPR) triggers differentiation and is effective in the treatment of Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia

Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), form RARα fusion genes and proteins is one of the most prevalent forms of leukemia. 4-Amino-2-Trifluoromethyl-Phenyl Retinate (ATPR), a derivative of all-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA), is of potent functions in the induce of cell differentiation, growth arrest, and apoptosis. Nowadays, we aimed to investigate the therapeutic effect of ATPR on this APL pathological model, and whether the mechanism involves PI3K/AKT, ERK and Notch signaling. We established a human xenograft mouse model using NB4 cells and found that ATPR significantly increased the protein concentration in the CD11b and suppressed the PI3K/AKT signaling and activated the ERK and Notch signaling in tumor tissue. Collectively, these data suggest that ATPR shows antileukemic effects by regulating PI3K/AKT, ERK and Notch signaling.