Abstract
Glioblastoma (GBM) is a malignant brain tumor with a poor prognosis. The standard postoperative chemotherapy is temozolomide (TMZ), which does not greatly improve survival. The DNA repair gene O-6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) contributes to the response of TMZ-induced DNA damage. The commonly prescribed antiepileptic drug levetiracetam (LEV) has been shown to enhance TMZ’s antitumor effect via inhibition of histone deacetylases (HDACs), but the therapeutic advantages of the LEV and TMZ combination remain poorly understood. Mechanisms of response to chemotherapy include apoptosis and mitotic catastrophe, and recent studies have suggested that premature senescence may also be invoked when cancer cells are exposed to therapeutic agents. In our study, we evaluated cell proliferation and premature senescence after single and combined treatments of TMZ and LEV in two GBM cell lines that differ in TMZ sensitivity caused by the absence (A172) or presence (T98) of the MGMT protein. Both LEV and TMZ reduced cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner in A172 cells. A senescent-like phenotype, as determined by β-galactosidase activity, was induced by both TMZ and LEV. Overall, there was a greater effect following combined treatment compared to the monotherapy groups. Thus, LEV appears to have a tumor-suppressive effect and induces cellular senescence, and combined treatment of LEV and TMZ enhanced these effects. because LEV treatment results in few adverse effects, its use in GBM treatment may allow for reduction of the TMZ dose to enhance the clinical efficacy of TMZ chemotherapy and improve quality of life.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Stupp, R., Hegi, M.E., Mason, W.P., van den Bent, M.J., Taphoorn, M.J., Janzer, R.C., Ludwin, S.K., Allgeier, A., Fisher, B., Belanger, K., Hau, P., Brandes, A.A., Gijtenbeek, J., Marosi, C., Vecht, C.J., Mokhtari, K., Wesseling, P., Villa, S., Eisenhauer, E., Gorlia, T., Weller, M., Lacombe, D., Cairncross, J.G., and Mirimanoff, R.O., Lancet Oncol., 2009, vol. 10, pp. 459–466.
Stupp, R., Mason, W.P., van den Bent, M.J., Weller, M., Fisher, B., Taphoorn, M.J., Belanger, K., Brandes, A.A., Marosi, C., Bogdahn, U., Curschmann, J., Janzer, R.C., Ludwin, S.K., Gorlia, T., Allgeier, A., Lacombe, D., Cairncross, J.G., Eisenhauer, E., and Mirimanoff, R.O.., N. Engl. J. Med., 2005, vol. 352, pp. 987–996.
Milligan, T.A., Hurwitz, S., and Bromfield, E.B., Neurology, 2008, vol. 71, pp. 665–669.
Motomura, K., Natsume, A., Kishida, Y., Higashi, H., Kondo, Y., Nakasu, Y., Abe, T., Namba, H., Wakai, K., and Wakabayashi, T., Cancer, 2011, vol. 117, pp. 1721–1730.
Kim, Y.H., Kim, T., Joo, J.D., Han, J.H., Kim, Y.J., Kim, I.A., Yun, C.H., and Kim, C.Y., Cancer, 2015, vol. 121, pp. 2926–2932.
Lin, C.J., Lee, C.C., Shih, Y.L., Lin, T.Y., Wang, S.H., Lin, Y.F., and Shih, C.M., Free Radic. Biol. Med., 2012, vol. 52, pp. 377–391.
Yamada, S., Matsuda, R., Nishimura, F., Nakagawa I., Motoyama, Y., Park, Y.S., Nakamura, M., Nakase, H., Ouji, Y., and Yoshikawa, M., Exp. Ther. Med., 2012, vol. 4, pp. 21–25.
Rossetti, A.O. and Stupp, R., Curr. Opin. Neurol., 2010, vol. 23, pp. 603–609.
Kargiotis, O., Markoula, S., and Kyritsis, A.P., Cancer Chemother. Pharmacol., 2011, vol. 67, pp. 489–501.
Jaeckle, K.A., Ballman, K., Furth, A., and Buckner, J.C., Neurology, 2009, vol. 73, pp. 1207–1213.
Perucca, E. and Tomson, T., Lancet Neurol., 2011, vol. 10, pp. 446–456.
Rosati, A., Buttolo, L., Stefini, R., Todeschini, A., Cenzato, M., and Padovani, A., Arch. Neurol., 2010, vol. 67, pp. 343–346.
Fonkem, E., Bricker, P., Mungall, D., Aceves, J., Ebwe, E., Tang, W., and Kirmani, B., Front. Neurol., 2013, vol. 4, p.153.
Lee, Y.J., Kim, T., Bae, S.H., Kim, Y.H., Han, J.H., Yun, C.H., and Kim, C.Y., CNS Drugs, 2013, vol. 27, pp. 753–759.
Gewirtz, D.A., Autophagy, 2009, vol. 5, pp. 1232–1234.
Bobustuc, G.C., Baker, C.H., Limaye, A., Jenkins, W.D., Pearl, G., Avgeropoulos, N.G., and Konduri, S.D., Neuro-oncology, 2010, vol. 12, pp. 917–927.
Courtois-Cox, S., Jones, S.L., and Cichowski, K., Oncogene, 2008, vol. 27, 2801–2809.
Xue, W., Zender, L., Miething, C., Dickins, R.A., Hernando, E., Krizhanovsky, V., Cordon-Cardo, C., and Lowe, S.W., Nature, 2007, vol. 445, pp. 656–660.
Campisi, J. and d’Adda di Fagagna, F., Nat. Rev. Mol. Cell Biol., 2007, vol. 8, pp. 729–740.
Kern, K., Schebesch, K.M., Schlaier, J., Hansen, E., Feigl, G.C., Brawanski, A.T., and Lange, M.., J. Clin. Neurosci., 2012, vol. 19, pp. 99–100.
Collado, M., Gil, J., Efeyan, A., Guerra, C., Schuhmacher, A.J., Barradas, M., Benguría, A., Zaballos, A., Flores, J.M., Barbacid, M., Beach, D., and Serrano, M., Nature, 2005, vol. 436, p.642.
Ryu, C.H., Yoon, W.S., Park, K.Y., Kim, S.M., Lim, J.Y., Woo, J.S., Jeong, C.H., Hou, Y., and Jeun, S.S.., J. Biomed. Biotechnol. 2012, vol. 2012, p. 987495.
Garcia-Manero, G., Yang, H., Bueso-Ramos, C., Ferrajoli, A., Cortes, J., Wierda, W.G., Faderl, S., Koller, C., Morris, G., Rosner, G., Loboda, A., Fantin, V.R., Randolph, S.S., Hardwick, J.S., Reilly, J.F., Chen, C., Ricker, J.L., Secrist, J.P., Richon, V.M., Frankel, S.R., and Kantarjian, H.M., Blood, 2008, vol. 111, pp. 1060–1066.
Osuka, S., Takano, S., Watanabe, S., Ishikawa, E., Yamamoto, T., and Matsumura, A., Neurol. Med. Chir. (Tokyo), 2012, vol. 52, pp. 186–193.
Ryu, C.H., Park, K.Y., Kim, S.M., Jeong, C.H., Woo, J.S., Hou, Y., and Jeun, S.S., Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun., 2012, vol. 421, pp. 585–590.
Zhou, Y., Xu, Y., Wang, H., Niu, J., Hou, H., and Jiang, Y., Oncol. Lett. 2014, vol. 7, pp. 203–208.
Li, X.N., Shu, Q., Su, J.M., Perlaky, L., Blaney, S.M., and Lau, C.C., Mol. Cancer Ther., 2005, vol. 4, no. 12, pp. 1912–1922.
Eyal, S., Yagen, B., Sobol, E., Altschuler, Y., Shmuel, M., and Bialer, M., Epilepsia, 2004, vol. 45, no. 7, pp. 737–744.
de Groot, M., Douw, L., Sizoo, E.M., Bosma, I., Froklage, F.E., Heimans, J.J., Postma, T.J., Klein, M., and Reijneveld, J.C., Neuro-oncology, 2013, vol. 15, pp. 216–223.
Cardile, V., Pavone, A., Gulino, R., Renis, M., Scifo, C., and Perciavalle, V., Brain Res., 2003, vol. 976, no. 2, pp. 227–233.
Ueda, Y., Doi, T., Takaki, M., Nagatomo, K., Nakajima, A., and Willmore, L.J., Brain Res., 2009, vol. 1266, pp. 1–7.
Custer, K.L., Austin, N.S., Sullivan, J.M., and Bajjalieh, S.M., J. Neurosci., 2006, vol. 26, pp. 1303–1313.
de Groot, M., Aronica, E., Heimans, J.J., and Reijneveld, J.C., Neurology, 2011, vol. 77, pp. 532–539.
Nakada, M., Furuta, T., Hayashi, Y., Minamoto, T., and Hamada, J., Front. Oncol., 2012, vol. 2, p.98.
Shay, J.W. and Roninson, I.B., Oncogene, 2004, vol. 23, pp. 2919–2933.
Litwiniec, A., Grzanka, A., Helmin-Basa, A., Gackowska, L., and Grzanka, D., J. Cancer Res. Clin. Oncol., 2010, vol. 136, pp. 717–736.
Rebbaa, A., Cancer Lett., 2005, vol. 219, pp. 1–13.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
The article is published in the original.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Marutani, A., Nakamura, M., Nishimura, F. et al. Tumor-inhibition effect of levetiracetam in combination with temozolomide in glioblastoma cells. Neurochem. J. 11, 43–49 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1819712416040073
Received:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S1819712416040073