Background and purpose: Cancer is one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide. Acute promyelocytic leukemia, which is the most common type of blood cancer in adults, is the most prevalent type of acute leukemia. This type of cancer is characterized by uncontrolled proliferation, inhibited differentiation of immature myloied progenitors (promyelocytes), and accumulation of abnormal promyelocytes in the bone marrow. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of Acroptilon repens L. extract on the growth rate of the acute promyelocytic leukemia cell line (HL-60).

Materials and methods: This is an experimental study. The HL-60 cells are round with large nuclei. These cells were maintained at 37°C in 5% CO₂ in RPMI-60 medium, supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum, and 1% penicillin and streptomycin. The cytotoxic effects of Acroptilon repens extract on HL-60 cell line was investigated using microculture tetrazolium test (MTT). To identify the cytotoxic doses, different dilutions of the Acroptilon repens extract were added to 96-well culture plate, each containing 20 × 4 cells. The treated cells were incubated for 24, 48, and 72 h, and then the viability of the cells was assessed using MTT.

Results: According to the results, Acroptilon repens L. extract has cytotoxic effects in concentrations of 1, 2, 4, 6, and 8 mg/ml.

Conclusion: As the findings indicated, Acroptilon repens L. extract could be effective in growth rate of acute promyelocytic leukemia cell line (HL-60).