Restoration of Sensitivity in Chemo

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and aggressive brain tumor in
adults. Despite multimodal treatments including surgery,
chemotherapy and radiotherapy the prognosis remains poor and
relapse occurs regularly. The alkylating agent temozolomide (TMZ)
has been shown to improve the overall survival in patients with
malignant gliomas, especially in tumors with methylated promoter of
the O6-methylguanine-DNA-methyltransferase (MGMT) gene. However,
intrinsic and acquired resistance towards TMZ makes it crucial to
find new therapeutic strategies aimed at improving the prognosis of
patients suffering from malignant gliomas. Cold atmospheric plasma
is a new auspicious candidate in cancer treatment. In the present
study we demonstrate the anti-cancer properties of different
dosages of cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) both in TMZ-sensitive and
TMZ-resistant cells by proliferation assay, immunoblotting, cell
cycle analysis, and clonogenicity assay. Importantly, CAP treatment
restored the responsiveness of resistant glioma cells towards TMZ
therapy. Concomitant treatment with CAP and TMZ led to inhibition
of cell growth and cell cycle arrest, thus CAP might be a promising
candidate for combination therapy especially for patients suffering
from GBMs showing an unfavorable MGMT status and TMZ resistance.