In-vitro Apoptotic Effects of Deferoxamine on the Glioblastoma Cell Line

Background: Research suggests the inhibitory effects of deferoxamine as an iron chelator on erythroleukemia cells. The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of deferoxamine on B92 cells as a model of glial cells carcinoma. Materials and Methods: The present experimental study treated 6×104 B92 cells with 0, 10, 50 and 100 µM of deferoxamine for 24 hours in the presence or absence of 10 μmol/l of ferric chloride. Morphological changes were evaluated in the treated cells compared to in the control sample using an inverse optical microscope. The inhibitory and cytotoxic effects of deferoxamine were evaluated using the dimethylimidazole-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) reduction and neutral red uptake assay. The data were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis test. P <0.05 was set as the level of statistical significance. Results: The inhibitory effects of deferoxamine on the proliferation of B92 cells were identified after 24 hours in a way that the cells began to accumulate in the presence of deferoxamine. Ten μmol/l of ferric chloride prevented these morphological changes. Deferoxamine was also found to significantly and  dose-dependently inhibit the vitality and viability of B92 cells. Moreover, the data showed that ferric chloride prevents the emergence of the effects of treating B92 cells with deferoxamine. Conclusion: Deferoxamine exerts in-vitro antiproliferative effects on the glial cell line B92.