OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of elesclomol-Cu (ES-Cu) on the proliferation and cuproptosis of human acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells. METHODS: The effects of ES-Cu on the proliferation of AML cells and the AML cells pre-treated with ammonium tetrathiomolybdate (TTM) were examined by CCK-8 assay. The Calcein/PI kit was used to detected the changes in activity and cytotoxicity of AML cells induced by ES-Cu. Flow cytometry and Cytation3 fully automated cell imaging multifunctional detection system were used to analyze DCFH-DA fluorescence intensity, so as to determine the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The GSH and GSSG detection kits were used to measure the intracellular GSH content. Western blot was used to detected the expression of cuproptosis-related proteins ATP7B, FDX1, DLAT and DPYD. RESULTS: <0.05). CONCLUSION: ES-Cu can induce cuproptosis in AML cells, which provides a new idea for the treatment of AML.