DIFFERENTIATION-INDUCING EFFECTS OF VESNARINONE ON HUMAN GLIOMA-CELLS

The effects of dimethoxybenzoyl)-1-piperazinyl]-2(1H)-quinolinone (ves narinone) on the growth of glioma cells were examined in vitro. Vesnar inone at a dose of 100 mu g/ml suppressed the growth of four different glioma cell lines, U-251MG, U-373MG, U-87MG and A-172, by approximate ly 50%, with an elongation of the cytoplasmic process on day 5 of cult ure. The long-term culture of U-87MG with 10 mu g/ml of vesnarinone wa s continued up to day 34. Although growth suppression was approximatel y 25% on day 5, it reached over 95% on day 34. An increase in the cycl ic adenosine monophosphate content of glioma cells cultured with vesna rinone was observed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The accumulation of glial fibrillary acidic protein was observed to occur with vesnarinone by ELISA. These findings suggest that vesnarinone sup pressed the growth and induced differentiation of glioma cells in vitr o. (C) Pearson Professional Ltd 1997