The NFκB pathway: a therapeutic target in glioblastoma

Abstract

Cancer initiating cells have been described to be the only cell population with tumorigenic capacity in glioblastoma multiforme, one of the most aggressive and untreatable cancers. Recent work from our group described that NFκB pathway was activated in glioblastoma initiating cells undergoing differentiation, and that blockade of this activation promoted senescence of differentiating cells. NFκB activation in cancer may be the result of either exposure to proinflammatory stimuli in the tumor microenvironment or upregulation of the signaling pathway by upstream regulators. Appropriate control of NFκB activity, which can be achieved by gene modification or pharmacological strategies, would provide a potential approach for the management of NFκB related tumors, including glioblastoma. Here, we summarize the current knowledge of the relevance of NFκB in cancer and its possible role as a target of therapeutic intervention..

Figure 1. Response of solid tumor-derived cell lines to the IKKβ inhibitor, EC-70124

The small molecule inhibitor was added to 24h old cultures of each of the 50 cell lines used in the panel. After 48h of incubation, cells were fixed and stained with sulforhodamine B, and the total stain quantitated by absorbance determinations. Through the use of a time 0 control, the 50% lethal concentration (LC50) was determined. Those bars that reach the upper limit of the histogram represent LC50 values higher than 100 μM.