The Effectiveness of Dichloroacetate on Human Glioblastoma Xenograft Growth Depends on Na+ and Mg2+ Cations

The study’s aim was to investigate the effectiveness of sodium dichloroacetate (NaDCA) or magnesium dichloroacetate (MgDCA) on adult U87 MG and pediatric PBT24 cell lines glioblastoma (GB) xenografts in a chicken chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) model. The study groups were: treated with 10 mM, 5 mM of NaDCA, and 5 mM, 2.5 mM of MgDCA, and controls. The U87 MG and PBT24 xenografts growth, frequency of tumor invasion into CAM, CAM thickening, and the number of blood vessels in CAM differed depending on the dichloroacetate salt treatment. NaDCA impact on U87 MG and PBT24 tumor on proliferating cell nunclear antigen (PCNA) and enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) expression in the tumor was different, depending on the NaDCA dose. The 5 mM MgDCA impact was more potent and had similar effects on U87 MG and PBT24 tumors, and its impact was also reflected in changes in PCNA and EZH2 expression in tumor cells. The U87 MG and PBT24 tumor response variations to treatment with different NaDCA concentration on tumor growth or a contrast between NaDCA and MgDCA effectiveness may reflect some differences in U87 MG and PBT24 cell biology.