Evaluation of the therapeutic potential of red clover extract and red grape seed extract on human adult malignant brain tumours in vitro

Gliomas are rare intrinsic brain tumours which account for 2% of all cancers. Glioblastoma multiforme is the most malignant malignant glioma form and remains incurable. The biological features which preclude successful therapy include heterogeneity, diffuse invasive patterns and angiogenesis. Despite, advances in current conventional treatments the median survival time is only 14 months. Hence there is a need to investigate novel therapeutic approaches which can be included alongside conventional treatment. One such approach is the use of micronutrients in the management of glioblastoma multiforme. This study evaluated the affects of two micronutrient extracts, red clover extract (RCE) and red grape seed extract (RGSE), on human adult malignant brain tumours in vitro.
Four primary (or short-term) cell cultures derived from human brain tumour biopsies, an established cell line and normal human brain cells from an epileptic pateint were used to measure the cell viability, anti-invasive, anti-angiogenic and pro-apoptotic potentials, following 48-hour treatment with the IC50s of either micronutrient extract.
Both RCE and RGSE exhibited similar affects on the glioma cell cultures. They both appeared to reduce cell viability, invasive potential and angiogenesis potential though did not appear to have any significant affect on the apoptotic portential of the glioma cultures. For example, incubation with 0.007-1ug/ml RCE caused a significant (p<0.05) reduction of in viability of glioma cells but did not affect viability of normal astrocytes. Similar results were obtained for RGSE. These doses also resulted in a significant decrease in invasion and angiogenesis (p<0.05). Effects varied between cell lines but in general decreased by 50-60%.
This suggests that both RCE and RGSE do affect the development of glioma cell cultures in vitro and warrant further study into the pathways in which this may occur.