title: Berberine sensitizes human glioma cells, but not normal glial cells, to ionizing radiation in vitro.
abstract: The identification of nontoxic agents that can enhance the efficacy of postoperative radiotherapy for patients with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) remains a challenge in oncology. We evaluated human GBM cell lines for their responsiveness to berberine, an alkaloid compound used commonly in Asia as an antibiotic. In experiments measuring clonogenic survival, treatment with a nontoxic dose of berberine rendered GBM cells more sensitive than vehicle-treated control cells to x-rays. Such radiosensitization was not observed in parallel experiments with primary human glial cultures. These data suggest that berberine could be integrated with postoperative radiotherapy to selectively promote residual GBM tumor cell death
authors.affiliation: California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute, California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute, San Francisco, CA 94115, USA. yount@cooper.cpmc.org
authors.forename: Garret
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Yount
authors.forename: Yifang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Qian
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Basila
authors.forename: Jeremy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: West
authors.forename: Ken
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Aldape
authors.forename: Nils
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Arvold
authors.forename: Noga
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Shalev
authors.forename: Daphne
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Haas-Kogan
mesh_terms: D001599:Berberine / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005909:Glioblastoma / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000187:drug effects; D011838:Radiation-Sensitizing Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018714:Radiotherapy, Adjuvant
chemical_list: D011838:Radiation-Sensitizing Agents; D001599:Berberine