Planta Med 2012; 78 - PD114
DOI: 10.1055/s-0032-1320472

Withaferin A activity against glioblastoma cells: Supression of microtubule dynamics

DD Rocha 1, EM Kithsiri Wijeratne 2, AAL Gunatilaka 2, LVC Lotufo 1
  • 1Departamento de Fisiologia e Farmacologia, Universidade Federal do Ceará – Brasil
  • 2Southwest Center for Natural Products Research and Commercialization, University of Arizona – USA

Withaferin A (Wit A) is a natural product, isolated from the plant Withania somnifera, which is known to possess anti-cancer activity. The analysis of the cell cycle of glioblastoma cells (SF-268 cell line) treated with 1 or 2µM of Wit A for 24h showed an arrest at the G2/M phase. Confocal microscopy images confirmed that cells were arrested in mitosis and that microtubule formation is altered. Furthermore a tubulin polymerization assay showed that Wit A acts in a similar way to paclitaxel by inducing and stabilizing the formation of microtubules (Figure 1).

Fig.1: (A) Molecular structure of withaferin A. (B) Tubulin polymerization assay.