Anti-cancer effect of Cissus quadrangularis on human glioblastoma cells

Abstract Objectives Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a common and fatal brain tumour in the central nervous system with a poor survival rate and a median survival time of 15 months only. The standard treatment is aggressive surgical resection followed by radiotherapy and chemotherapy. However, effective drugs available in chemotherapy are limited. This study was designed to evaluate, for the first time, the potential therapeutic effect of Cissus quadrangularis (CQ) in human glioblastoma cells and to investigate its possible mechanisms of action. Methods In this study, we examined the anticancer activity of CQ in human glioblastoma U87 MG cells by cell viability assay, cell migration assay, immunofluorescence staining and Western blot. Results Our results demonstrated that CQ treatment induced U87 cytotoxicity, cell cycle arrest and cell death. The cytotoxicity of CQ mediates ER stress, autophagy and mitochondrial apoptosis by suppressing pro-survival signalling pathways (extracellular signal-regulated kinase and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 pathways). Conclusions The findings of this study imply that CQ is a promising anti-cancer candidate for the treatment of GBM.