Direct Effect of Bevacizumab on Glioblastoma Cell Lines In Vitro

In this report, we studied whether bevacizumab can act directly on malignant glioblastoma cells. We observe changes in the expression profiles of components of the VEGF/VEGF-R pathway and in the response to a VEGF-A stimulus following bevacizumab treatment. In addition, we show that bevacizumab itself acts on glioblastoma cells by activating the Akt and Erks survival signaling pathways. Bevacizumab also enhances proliferation and invasiveness of glioblastoma cells in hyaluronic acid hydrogel. We propose that the paradoxical effect of bevacizumab on glioblastoma cells could be due to changes in the VEGF-A-dependent autocrine loop as well as in the intracellular survival pathways, leading to the enhancement of tumor aggressiveness. Investigation of how bevacizumab interacts with glioblastoma cells and the resulting downstream signaling pathways will help targeting populations of resistant glioblastoma cells.
Source: NeuroMolecular Medicine - Category: Neurology Source Type: research