Isopropyl methanesulfonate is a potent red cell hematotoxicant.

Mice given 10-weekly injections (i.m.) of 20 mumol of isopropyl methanesulfonate (IPMS) in trioctanoin exhibited depressed hematopoiesis as manifested by reduced peripheral blood counts and by reduced thymic and bone marrow cellularities. The treatments were particularly toxic to erythroid populations and ultimately induced signs of splenic erythropoiesis. Bone marrow cellularity recovered during the latter stages of the treatments indicating that subpopulations of hematopoietic cells were resistant to the treatments. This recovery of bone marrow cellularity may bear on the recently discovered leukemogenic potential of IPMS.