Abstract
Glioblastoma multiforme is the most common and aggressive form of brain tumor. Its treatment is challenging despite the use of combined treatments including surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. Mean survival rates after 5 years are usually around 5%. Recent advances in cancer therapy have focused on the use of adjuvant strategies to improve clinical outcomes. Among these, nutritional interventions have shown significant potential for preventing tumor development and enhancing response to standard treatments, improving life quality and expectancy in cancer patients. Vitamins are essential micronutrients required for cellular metabolism and homeostasis. B group vitamins are key for development of the nervous system, participating in de novo synthesis of nucleic acids, homocysteine and one-carbon metabolism, as well as contributing to mitochondrial functions. B vitamins have been shown to possess significant properties relating to the prevention of tumor development in some types of cancer. However, their role in glioblastoma has not been determined. The aim of this study is to determine the effect of B group vitamin supplementation on the survival of the human glioblastoma cells. B6 (pyridoxine) and B12 (cobalamin) vitamins were administered directly to cultured U87MG human glioblastoma cells at different concentrations and exposure times. A crystal violet colorimetric assay was used to evaluate cell viability after vitamin supplementation. The results show a strong dose-dependent effect of pyridoxine supplementation on glioblastoma cell viability at 2,000-4,000 µM concentrations. Viability also decreased at longer exposure times. In contrast, cobalamin supplementation at 1-100 µM concentrations does not appear to have any effect on glioblastoma cell viability at any exposure time. These data suggest that direct supplementation with pyridoxine, but not cobalamin, may affect glioblastoma cell viability. Additional experiments are underway to explore the molecular mechanisms responsible for the observed effects.
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