Effect of pyridoxine or cobalamin supplementation on apoptosis and cell cycle progression in a human glioblastoma cell line

Abstract

Glioblastoma is the most aggressive type of brain tumor, with current therapies failing to significantly improve patient survival. Vitamins have important effects on cellular processes that are relevant for tumor development and progression.

Aim

The present study explored the effect of pyridoxine or cobalamin supplementation on the viability and cell cycle progression of human glioblastoma cell line U-87 MG.

Method

Cell cultures were treated with increasing concentrations of pyridoxine or cobalamin for 24–72 h. After supplementation, cell viability and cell cycle progression were assessed by spectrophotometry and flow cytometry. Analysis of Bcl-2 and active caspase 3 expression in supplemented cells was performed by western blot.

Result

The results show that pyridoxine supplementation decreases cell viability in a dose and time dependent manner. Loss of viability in pyridoxin-supplemented cells is probably related to less cell cycle progression, higher active caspase 3 expression and apoptosis. In addition, Bcl-2 expression did not appear to be altered by vitamin supplementation, but active caspase 3 expression was significantly increased in pyridoxine-, but not cobalamin-supplemented cells, furthermore, cobalamin inhibited the pyridoxine cytotoxicity in the cell viability assay when combined

Conclusion

The results suggest that pyridoxine supplementation promotes apoptosis in human glioblastoma-derived cells and may be useful to enhance the effect of cytotoxic therapies in vivo.

Keywords:

• Glioblastoma
• vitamin supplementation
• pyridoxine
• cobalamin
• apoptosis
• cell cycle

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the National Institute of Neurology for kindly donate the U87MG cell line.

Author’s contribution

CMM: Experimental procedures, data analysis, manuscript writing.

JAE: Supervision of experimental procedures, data analysis, manuscript writing/editing.

LAZC: Supervision of experimental procedures and data analysis.

GGCC: Data analysis.

IC: Experimental design, supervision of experimental procedures, data analysis, manuscript writing/editing.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This study received funding from the Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, grant: 6195/2020CIB, and from the Nacional Council of Science and Technology, grant: 316833.