EP12.12 NEW GLIOBLASTOMA THERAPY INDUCES CELL DEATH AND INHIBITS TUMOUR MIGRATION VIA MODULATION OF APOPTOTIC GENES

Abstract BACKGROUND Glioblastoma (GB) is a highly aggressive type of brain cancer with dismal survival rates, underlying the vital necessity for novel therapeutic strategies. In this study, the effects of two newly synthesized in-house dibenzalacetone derivative compounds, SHG-24 and SHG-31 were evaluated in two GB cell lines to explore potential therapeutic strategies for treating this aggressive malignancy. MATERIAL AND METHODS MTT assays were performed to assess cell viability upon treatment with both compounds,. A wound healing assay was used to monitor cell migration. The wound was created in A172 and U87MG cells, followed by treatment with the respective IC50 concentrations of SHG-24 and SHG-31. Images were taken at 0, 24, and 48 hours to observe wound closure. Colony formation assays were also completed to assess the effect on colonisation post treatment with the two compounds. Real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) was performed to analyse the expression of apoptotic genes in SHG-31-treated A172 cells. RESULTS The viability assay revealed an IC50 of SHG-24 and SHG-31 as 15μM and 30μM, respectively in A172 cell line and 10μM for both compounds in U87MG cell line. Both SHG-24 and SHG-31 induced significant cell death at low concentrations in both cell lines. Both compounds also caused a notable delay in wound healing compared to untreated cells, with both exhibiting better effects than cisplatin. Cell proliferation and colony formation was completely inhibited post treatment with SHG-24 and SHG-31. Interestingly, RT-qPCR results showed that SHG-31 treatment led to increased expression of BAX and CASP3. CONCLUSION Overall, both compounds exhibited promising anti-cancer properties, with SHG-31 showing potential to induce apoptosis paving the way for new effective therapies against GB.