NOVOSIBIRSK, July 30Scientists from the Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Novosibirsk Institute of Organic Chemistry named after N. N. Vorozhtsov of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences have developed a compound capable of suppressing the aggressive development of brain tumors, the Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences reported on Tuesday.
Glioblastoma multiforme is the most common and malignant brain tumor. Despite significant advances in surgical, chemo- and radiotherapeutic treatment methods, the life expectancy of patients with glioblastoma after a full course of therapy is usually no more than 15 months. 
«Scientists… have developed a compound that can suppress the aggressive behavior of brain tumor cells and prevent them from penetrating healthy tissue. The data obtained can be used to create new drugs for the treatment of human glioblastoma multiforme,» the report says.
The research institute explained that malignant neoplasms produce a variety of proteins that stimulate tumor growth. These include transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β), which increases the mobility of glioblastoma cells and promotes their rapid spread to healthy brain tissue.
In cell experiments, scientists discovered a compound (soloxolone para-methylanilide (SPMA) that effectively blocks the tumor-stimulating effect of this protein. In addition, the discovered compound significantly increases the sensitivity of glioblastoma cells to temozolomide (a first-line drug for the treatment of glioblastoma) and suppresses their ability to spread.
«The compound we developed had a pronounced anti-glioblastoma potential not only in cell experiments, but also in in vivo experiments. It was shown that injections of SPMA reliably blocked the growth of human glioblastoma in a mouse model, and the effectiveness of this therapy was comparable to standard chemotherapy used in the clinic,» said Andrey Markov, a senior researcher at the Laboratory of Nucleic Acid Biochemistry at the Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
The research institute noted that the data obtained by Novosibirsk scientists can be used to develop new antitumor agents capable of blocking the growth and recurrence of glioblastoma, as well as increasing its sensitivity to chemotherapy drugs. The study was supported by a grant from the Russian Science Foundation, and the results were published in the journal Frontiers in Pharmacology.
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