all-trans retinoic acid + interferon-gamma

This is a combination therapy consisting of all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma). ATRA is a derivative of vitamin A that acts as a potent inducer of cell differentiation, particularly in cancer cells. Interferon-gamma is a cytokine with immunomodulatory and pro-apoptotic properties. The combination has been studied primarily in oncology settings, including glioblastoma and acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), where it exerts synergistic effects by promoting differentiation, inducing apoptosis, modulating survival signaling pathways such as PI3K/Akt and NF-kappaB, increasing the Bax:Bcl-2 ratio, releasing cytochrome c from mitochondria, activating caspase-3 and calpain activities, upregulating PTEN expression (in PTEN-proficient cells), causing cell cycle arrest at G1/S phase via p27(kip1) elevation and CDK2 reduction. In APL models—including those resistant to ATRA alone—interferon-gamma enhances promyelocytic leukemia protein expression and cooperates with ATRA to induce maturation/differentiation of leukemic cells[1][2][5].

Other names

ATRA + IFN-gammaall-trans-retinoic acid plus interferon gamma