Investigation of the anti-tumor effects of bevacizumab on glioblastoma cells

Abstract

Aim: Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most malignant glial tumor. Angiogenesis which provides nutrient and oxygen support to proliferating cells plays an essential role in GBM development, proliferation, and metastasis. The development of antiangiogenetic agents is a promising treatment approach as blood vessels are essential for the vitality of tumor cells. For this purpose, in this study, the effects of bevacizumab on cell viability and apoptosis were analyzed using glioblastoma cells.
 Material and method: U-87 MG and T98G cells were treated with various concentrations of bevacizumab for 24 hours, 48 hours, and 72 hours. Cell viability was analyzed after administration of bevacizumab. Cytotoxicity was determined using MTT. Apoptosis rate was determined with cell death detection kit.
 Results: Cell viability analysis showed that when 8 mg / ml bevacizumab was administered to glioblastoma cells for 48 hours and 72 hours, cell proliferation was only 50% compared to proliferation of cells without bevacizumab. Additionally, apoptosis rates for U-87 MG and T98G cell lines treated with various concentrations of bevacizumab for 48 hours and 72 hours showed results similar to those of cell viability. 
 Conclusions: This study showed that while high concentration treatment of U-87 MG cells caused an increase in cell viability in a time-dependent manner, high dose treatment of T98G cells resulted in a decrease in cell viability in a time-dependent manner. This means that some glioblastoma cells can still survive under high doses of bevacizumab. This, in turn, demonstrated that glioblastoma cells developed resistance against bevacizumab.