Is Mda‐7/IL‐24 a Potential Target and Biomarker for Enhancing Drug Sensitivity in Human Glioma U87 Cell Line?

Gliomas are the most common form of primary brain tumor with the highest mortality rates. Drug resistance is a major cause of treatment failure in patients with glioma. Melanoma differentiation associated gene‐7/interleukin‐24 (mda‐7/IL‐24) has been demonstrated to play an important role in drug resistance in human cancer cell lines. However, the reversing effect of mda‐7/IL‐24 on drug resistance of human glioma is not fully clear. Here, we investigated the effects of overexpression of the mda‐7/IL‐24 gene in human glioma. We established a cisplatin‐resistant U87 glioma cell line and found that mda‐7/IL‐24 was highly correlated with drug resistance. Furthermore, we investigated the apoptotic rate, intracellular accumulation of Rhodamine‐123, and expression of glutathione and P‐glycoprotein. The over‐expression of mda‐7/IL‐24 enhanced cisplatin cytotoxicity and reversal of drug resistance in glioma cells. The reversing effect of mda‐7/IL‐24 on drug resistance was induced mainly through the regulation of drug resistance‐related genes and efflux drug pumps. Thus, mda‐7/IL‐24 can be used as a promising predictive biomarker and potential therapeutic target for chemotherapy in glioma. Anat Rec, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.