Gliomas are the most common
primary malignant brain tumors in adults, and have a poor prognosis, despite the different types of treatment available. There is growing demand for new
therapies to treat this life-threatening
tumor.
Quinone derivatives from plants have received increased interest as potential anti-
glioma drugs, due to their diverse pharmacologic activities, such as inhibiting cell growth,
inflammation,
tumor invasion, and promoting
tumor regression. Previous studies have demonstrated the anti-
glioma activity of Eleutherine plicata, which is related to three main
naphthoquinone compounds-eleutherine, isoeleutherine, and
eleutherol-but their mechanism of action remains elusive. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the mechanism of action of eleutherine on rat C6
glioma. In vitro cytotoxicity was evaluated by MTT assay; morphological changes were evaluated by phase-contrast microscopy. Apoptosis was determined by
annexin V-FITC-
propidium iodide staining, and antiproliferative effects were assessed by
wound migration and colony formation assays.
Protein kinase B (AKT/pAKT) expression was measured by western blot, and
telomerase reverse transcriptase mRNA was measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Eleutherine reduced C6 cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner, suppressed migration and invasion, induced apoptosis, and reduced AKT phosphorylation and
telomerase expression. In summary, our results suggest that eleutherine has potential clinical use in treating
glioma.