Fluvastatin reduces tumor burden in mice engrafted with FLT3/ITD cells. (A) Balb/c mice were injected via tail vein with 2 × 105 luciferase-positive BaF3 FLT3/ITD cells and treated with PBS (control) or fluvastatin at 20 mg/kg twice daily starting 3 days after injection. Mice were injected with luciferin and analyzed on an IVIS Spectrum imager on days 3 and 7. The mean (+ SEM) bioluminescence for the 5 mice in each group at days 3 and 7 is plotted on the right. (B) Twice-daily treatments were continued as described in panel A until mice became moribund (control group) at which point both groups of mice were euthanized and spleen weights (mean + SEM) were measured. (C) Peripheral blood from transplanted mice treated with or without 20 mg/kg fluvastatin twice daily on days 10 and 11 after transplantation was assayed for surface FLT3 expression. IgG-stained cells are shown in black, cells from PBS-treated mice in red, and cells from fluvastatin-treated mice in blue. (D) Survival of transplanted mice was assessed by twice-daily PBS or fluvastatin treatments from day 3 until day 30 (or until mice became moribund) at which point treatment was stopped (arrow). Five mice were used in each group and the experiment was conducted twice.
