To figure out whether the Akt/mTOR pathway was involved in mediating the anti-tumor effects of deoxyshikonin on AML cells, THP-1 and HL60 cells were treated with 20 μg/ml deoxyshikonin in the presence or the absence of 740Y-P for 48 h. This evidence concerns the gene AKT1 and acute myeloid leukemia.