Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most aggressive and lethal type of brain cancer, characterised by high invasiveness and poor prognosis. Despite extensive efforts and continued research, the median survival for patients is approximately 15months. A key reason contributing to poor patient outcomes is resistance to the current standard care temozolomide (TMZ).
Over the past few years, there has been an interest in phytochemical compounds in treatment of various types of cancer including GBM due to their diverse biological activity and low toxicity levels. We investigated the anti-cancer effect of the phytochemical drug combinations consisting of withaferin A (WFA) and thymoquinone (TQ), along with TMZ and a novel synthetic compound “FLM-c2” on the GBM cell lines U251, T98G and LN229. The rationale behind the use of phytochemical drug combinations lies in their ability to target multiple signaling pathways and molecular targets simultaneously, leading to enhanced efficacy and reduced toxicity.
The colorimetric MTS assay was used to determine cell viability when treated in three combinations: WFA and TQ, WFA and FLM-c2, TQ and TMZ. The results demonstrated enhanced efficacy of phytochemical combinations compared to individual compounds with c2 and WFA and TMZ and TQ combinations. Overall, the data suggests promising outcomes for synergistic application of the phytochemicals in improving chemotherapy outcomes for patients. Further research is necessary to validate these findings in in vivo models and ultimately translate them into clinical trials, potentially offering a novel treatment strategy for GBM patients.