Induction of apoptosis and inhibition of proliferation of C6 glioma cells in vitro by tamoxifen

Objective: To investigate the anti-tumor effect and mechanism of tamoxifen on rat C6 glioma cells. Methods: C6 cells were cultured in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM) with 3% fetal calf serum (FCS), and treated with tamoxifen of different concentrations, i. e. group A (1.25 μmol/L), group B (2.50 μmol/L), group C (5.00 μmol/L), group D (10.00 μmol/L), group E (20.00 μmol/L) and control group (0.00 μmol/L). Morphological changes, MTT assay and 5-bromo-2′-deoxyuriding labeling ratio were assessed. Apoptosis was observed by flow cytometry. Results: C6 cells treated with different doses of tamoxifen for 24, 48, and 72 hours became irregular in shape, while cells treated with vehicle grew normally. MTT assay showed that tamoxifen did not suppress C6 cell growth until 72 hours after treatment. Seventy-two hours after treatment, there were significant differences in cell viable rate between group A versus groups C, D and E; so did group B versus group D as well as group E (P< 0.05). BrdU incorporation assay indicated significant difference of BrdU labbled index (BrdU LI) among groups A, C, E and control group 48 hours after treatment (P<0.05). And the BrdU LI decreased with the increased concentration of tamoxifen. Flow cytometry (FCM) showed significant difference between treated group and control group at 24, 48, and 72 hours after treatment (P<0.05). Conclusion: Tamoxifen significantly suppresses the growth of C6 glioma cells in a time- and dose-dependent manner. The mechanism of tamoxifen suppressing C6 glioma cells may be inhibiting proliferation and inducing apoptosis. Therefore, tamoxifen can be a candidate as a chemotherapy agent for glioma.