Concanavalin A induces apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner by modulating thiol/disulfide homeostasis in C6 glioblastoma cells.

Glioma is the most common brain tumor. C6 rat glioblastoma cells provide the possibility to the scientist to study brain cancer. Concanavalin A (Con A) has a lot of antitumoral effects, especially over oxidative stress. In the present study, it was aimed to decide the impacts of various doses of Con A on C6 glioblastoma cells regarding cytotoxicity, thiol/disulfide homeostasis, apoptosis, and inflammation. We detected the cytotoxic activity of Con A (from 7.8 to 500 µg/ml) in C6 cells by utilizing 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) and determined the toxic concentration of Con A. Once the optimal doses were found, the thiol-disulfide homeostasis, levels of total antioxidant and oxidant status (TAS and TOS), malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione (GSH), pro-inflammatory cytokines as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6), apoptotic proteins as cytochrome c (CYCS), and caspase 3 (CASP3) were measured. Apoptotic and morphological changes in the C6 cells were examined with an inverted microscope and flow cytometry technique. Dose-dependent Con A triggered oxidative damage in the C6 cells, affecting the inflammatory pathway, so reducing proliferation with apoptotic proteins and morphological changes. But especially, Con A increased disulfide formation by disrupting the thiol/disulfide balance in C6 cells. This study revealed that Con A, known as carbohydrate-binding protein, generated oxidative damage, inflammation, and apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner by modulating thiol/disulfide homeostasis in C6 glioblastoma cells.