Abstract: Objective To determine the apoptosis-Inducing effects of ribavirin on K562 leukemia cells. Methods Apoptosis-Inducing effects of a neurotransmitter ribavirin were evaluated by proliferation, morphology and detection of apoptosis apex through flow cytometry. We evaluated the effects of ribavirin on K562 cells proliferation by cellular enumeration inMTT assay and clony formation assay, the morphology by Wright-Gimesa(W-G) staining, Results ribavirin inhibited the proliferation of K562 cells, induced the apoptosis apex, and showed apoptosis morphology after drug treatment. Conclusion Ribavirin possessed apoptosis-inducing effects on K562 cells.

Key words: ribavirin, K562 cells, proliferation, apoptosis