Pharmacological agents with inherent anti-autophagic activity improve the cytotoxicity of imatinib

Resistance to tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) remains a limitation to the treatment of chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML), due in part, to the induction of autophagy. We examined whether disruption of autophagy with the pharmacological agents, brefeldin A, vincristine and chloroquine, improves the cytotoxicity of imatinib. In K562 CML cells, all drugs tested, in combination with imatinib impaired the expression or cellular distribution of LC3 and Beclin 1 (autophagy markers) and reduced the recovery of cells following drug withdrawal. The combination of imatinib and an agent that impedes autophagy demonstrates impressive potential as a more curative regime for CML.