Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) represents the most malignant type of astrocytoma, with a life expectancy of two years. It has been shown that Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP-1) protein is over-expressed in GBM cells, while its expression in healthy tissue is low. In addition, perezone, a phyto-compound, is a PARP-1 inhibitor with anti-neoplastic activity. As a consequence, in the present study, both in vitro and computational evaluations of perezone and its chemically related compound, perezone angelate, as anti-GBM agents were performed. Hence, the anti-proliferative assay showed that perezone angelate induces higher cytotoxicity in the GBM cell line (U373 IC50 = 6.44 μM) than perezone (U373 IC50 = 51.20 μM) by induction of apoptosis. In addition, perezone angelate showed low cytotoxic activity in rat glial cells (IC50 = 173.66 μM). PARP-1 inhibitory activity (IC50 = 5.25 μM) and oxidative stress induction by perezone angelate were corroborated employing in vitro studies. In the other hand, the performed docking studies allowed explaining the PARP-1 inhibitory activity of perezone angelate, and ADMET studies showed its probability to permeate cell membranes and the blood-brain barrier, which is an essential characteristic of drugs to treat neurological diseases. Finally, it is essential to highlight that the results confirm perezone angelate as a potential anti-GBM agent.
Keywords: anti-neoplastic activity; computational studies; drug-likeness; glioblastoma multiforme; phyto-compounds.