Cancer letters
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Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is one of the most aggressive human tumors with poor prognosis. Current standard treatment includes chemotherapy using DNA alkylating agent temozolomide (TMZ) concomitant with surgical resection and/or irradiation. However, GBM patients exhibit various levels of the elevated expression of DNA repair enzyme, due to MGMT causing resistance to TMZ. ⋯ This bystander effect was observed in vitro using conditioned medium of TMZ-damaged GBM cells, and PCR array analysis indicated that the conditioned medium stimulated stress and toxicity pathway and upregulated anti-oxidants genes expression such as catalase and SOD2 in TMZ-resistant cells. In addition, the reduction of the activity of anti-stress mechanism by using inhibitor of GSH synthesis potentiated TMZ-induced bystander effect. These results suggest that GSH inhibitor might be one of the candidates for combination therapy with TMZ for TMZ-resistant GBM patients.