Effects of cytosine arabinoside on unseparated bone marrow and peripheral blood cells and on specimens enriched for myeloblasts and promyelocytes.

Myeloblast and promyelocyte enriched preparations and the original unseparated specimens were compared in regard to the phosphorylation of cytosine arabinoside (ara C) and the retention of ara CTP as well as the effects of ara C on the clonogenic cells. The immature cell-enriched preparations have a significantly higher rate of ara C phosphorylation, while retention of ara CTP is not significantly different from that of the unseparated cells. No correlation was found between the measured parameters of ara C metabolism and the drug's effects on the clonogenic cells in either cell population.