Dihydroartemisinin inhibits the Raf/ERK/MEK and PI3K/AKT pathways in glioma cells.

It has previously been reported that dihydroartemisinin (DHA) is an effective novel anticancer compound in a number of types of tumor cells. Previous studies have demonstrated the anticancer activity of DHA in gioma cells. However, its underlining mechanism remains unclear. In the present study, the anticancer activity of DHA was examined in the glioma cell lines BT325 and C6. Western blot analysis was also employed to determine the signaling pathway changes. It was demonstrated that DHA effectively inhibited cell growth and induced apoptosis in glioma cells. Moreover, western blot analysis indicated that DHA-induced apoptosis was accompanied by inactivation of the Raf/MEK/ERK and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways, in addition to the downregulation of anti-apoptotic proteins Mcl-1 and Bcl-2 expression levels.