2. Academic Validation
  3. Synergistic effect of cryptotanshinone and temozolomide treatment against human glioblastoma cells

Synergistic effect of cryptotanshinone and temozolomide treatment against human glioblastoma cells

  • Sci Rep. 2023 Dec 9;13(1):21835. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-48777-z.
Songxian Zhu # 1,  Jingjing Guo # 1,  Li Yu 1,  Jun Liu 2,  Jixiang Chen 1,  Jinxin Xin 1,  Yuqiang Zhang 3,  Jie Luo 4,  Chao Duan 5 6
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Brain Research Institute, Research Center of Neurological Diseases, Taihe Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, 32 Renmin South Rd, Shiyan, 442000, Hubei, China.
  • 2 Department of Neurosurgery, Taihe Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, 32 South Renmin Road, Shiyan, 442000, Hubei, China.
  • 3 Medical Services, Taihe Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, 32 Renmin South Rd, Shiyan, 442000, Hubei, China. thyyzyq@126.com.
  • 4 Department of Neurosurgery, Taihe Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, 32 South Renmin Road, Shiyan, 442000, Hubei, China. luojie_001@126.com.
  • 5 Brain Research Institute, Research Center of Neurological Diseases, Taihe Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, 32 Renmin South Rd, Shiyan, 442000, Hubei, China. duanchao0803@163.com.
  • 6 Hubei Key Laboratory of Wudang Local Chinese Medicine Research, Taihe Hospital of Shiyan, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, 442000, Hubei, China. duanchao0803@163.com.
  • # Contributed equally.
PMID: 38071213 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-48777-z
Abstract

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a complex disease to treat owing to its profound chemoresistance. Therefore, we evaluated the combined effect and therapeutic efficacy of temozolomide (TMZ), a potent alkylating agent and the current gold standard therapy for GBM, and cryptotanshinone (CTS), which inhibits glioma cell proliferation in GBM cells. Using LN229 and U87-MG human GBM cells in a short-term stimulation in vitro model, the cytotoxic and anti-proliferative effects of single and combined treatment with 4 μM CTS and 200 μM TMZ were investigated. Furthermore, cell viability, DNA damage, Apoptosis rate, and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) protein were measured using cytotoxic assay, comet assay, flow cytometry, and western blotting analysis, respectively. The two drugs' synergistic interaction was validated using the synergy score. We found that the anti-proliferative effects of combination therapy using the two drugs were greater than that of each agent used alone (CTS or TMZ). Western blot analysis indicated that treatment of GBM cells with CTS combined with TMZ more significantly decreased the expression of MGMT and STAT3, than that with TMZ alone. Combined treatment with CTS and TMZ might be an effective option to overcome the chemoresistance of GBM cells in a long-term treatment strategy.

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