RTA dh404 Induces Cell Cycle Arrest, Apoptosis, and Autophagy in Glioblastoma Cells

RTA dh404 is a novel synthetic oleanolic acid derivative that has been reported to possess anti-allergic, neuroprotective, antioxidative, and anti-inflammatory properties, and exerts therapeutic effects on various cancers. Although CDDO and its derivatives have anticancer effects, the actual anticancer mechanism has not been fully explored. Therefore, in this study, glioblastoma cell lines were exposed to different concentrations of RTA dh404 (0, 2, 4, and 8 µM). Cell viability was evaluated using the PrestoBlue™ reagent assay. The role of RTA dh404 in cell cycle progression, apoptosis, and autophagy was analyzed using flow cytometry and Western blotting. The expression of cell cycle-, apoptosis-, and autophagy-related genes was detected by next-generation sequencing. RTA dh404 reduces GBM8401 and U87MG glioma cell viability. RTA dh404 treated cells had a significant increase in the percentage of apoptotic cells and caspase-3 activity. In addition, the results of the cell cycle analysis showed that RTA dh404 arrested GBM8401 and U87MG glioma cells at the G2/M phase. Autophagy was observed in RTA dh404-treated cells. Subsequently, we found that RTA dh404-induced cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, and autophagy were related to the regulation of associated genes using next-generation sequencing. Our data indicated that RTA dh404 causes G2/M cell cycle arrest and induces apoptosis and autophagy by regulating the expression of cell cycle-, apoptosis-, and autophagy-related genes in human glioblastoma cells, suggesting that RTA dh404 is a potential drug candidate for the treatment of glioblastoma.