Background: Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a highly invasive brain tumour, characterized by its ability to secrete factors promoting its virulence. Brain endothelial cells (BECs) in the GBM environment are physiologically modulated. The present study investigated the modulatory effects of normoxically and hypoxically induced glioblastoma U-87 cell secretions on BECs.
Methods: Conditioned media (CM) were derived by cultivating U-87 cells under hypoxic incubation (5% O2) and normoxic incubation (21% O2). Treated bEnd.3 cells were evaluated for mitochondrial dehydrogenase activity, mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm), ATP production, transendothelial electrical resistance (TEER), and endothelial tight-junction (ETJ) gene expression over 96 h.
Results: The coculture of bEnd.3 cells with U-87 cells, or exposure to either hypoxic or normoxic U-87CM, was associated with low cellular viability. The ΔΨm in bEnd.3 cells was hyperpolarized after hypoxic U-87CM treatment (p < 0.0001). However, normoxic U-87CM did not affect the state of ΔΨm. BEC ATP levels were reduced after being cocultured with U-87 cells, or with hypoxic and normoxic CM (p < 0.05). Suppressed mitochondrial activity in bEnd.3 cells was associated with increased transendothelial permeability, while bEnd.3 cells significantly increased the gene expression levels of ETJs (p < 0.05) when treated with U-87CM.
Conclusions: Hypoxic and normoxic glioblastoma paracrine factors differentially suppressed mitochondrial activity in BECs, increasing the BECs' barrier permeability.
Keywords: U-87 cells; bEnd.3 cells; blood-brain barrier; brain endothelial cells; glioblastoma multiforme; paracrine effects; tumour hypoxia; tumour secretome.