The treatment efficacy of asiaticoside in brain glioma

Brain glioma has a relative higher incidence rate. Current treatments include surgical resection and chemo-/radio-therapy. High recurrent rate and unfavorable prognosis, however, still remained and called for further studies on the proliferation and invasion of glioma cells. As one triterpenes compound, asiaticoside has been shown to inhibit the proliferation of tumors. Its function in glioma, however, still remains unclear. The effects of asiaticoside on the proliferation, cell migration and invasion of rat glioma cell line C6 were tested by MTT, scratch assay and Transwell approach. The C6 cells were inoculated to the caudate nucleus to establish the animal model and different concentrations of asiaticoside were given via intragastric inhalation. Western blotting was also performed to test the expression of cell proliferation and differentiation related proteins including proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and CD40. Asiaticoside can inhibit the proliferation, migration and invasion of tumor cells. It can also decrease the expression of PCNA and CD40 in animal models, thus inhibiting tumor cell proliferation, enhancing GFAP expression, and suppressing tumor growth. Asiaticoside can inhibit the growth and proliferation of brain glioma cells, with detailed mechanisms remained to be further elucidated.