Study showed two substances that may inhibit growth of glioblastoma cells

One of the deadliest types of cancer from the nervous system, glioblastoma is a malignant tumor growing in the brain or the spinal cord and affects over 13,000 Americans every year as per the report from the National Brain Tumor Society in 2022. Standard treatments are limited to surgical removal of the tumor followed by chemotherapy with temozolomide, radiation therapy, and then nitrosoureas (such as lomustine) which can be tedious, risky, and costs much. 

 In a recent study, two compounds– an isoquinoline derivative called A5 and an aporphine derivative called C1– may aid in the condition as it was found to inhibit the proliferation of glioblastoma cells. The compounds potentially reduced viability and suppress the formation of new tumor stem cells which boosted the effectiveness of temozolomide during treatment.  

First author and postdoctoral researcher at the University of Uppsala's Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Dorival Mendes, conveyed that “Results [of the study] so far suggests potential therapeutic applications as novel cytotoxic agents to control glioblastomas.”  

The current findings are being pushed into further investigation to confirm the effects of A5 and C1 on glioblastoma cells and non-tumorigenic nerve cells and will move on to clinical trials to confirm the effectiveness of the compounds in human patients.

Researchers are hopeful that “Once all these stages are completed, compounds may finally be used to treat glioblastoma patients [in the near future]. ”, says André Vettore, another author and professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP) in Diadema, Brazil.