Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28681243›Full record

ArticleJournal of neuro-oncology2017

Synergistic inhibition of glioma cell proliferation by Withaferin A and tumor treating fields.

Edwin Chang, Christoph Pohling, Nooshin Beygui, Chirag B Patel, Jarrett Rosenberg, Dong Ho Ha, Sanjiv S Gambhir

Open access · greenAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of neuro-oncology, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 25 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
25citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
3.5field-weighted citation impact, top 8% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

25 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 38 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Guideline
  2. Pooled it
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  5. Tumor-treating fields in cancer therapy: advances of cellular and molecular mechanisms.Clinical & translational oncology : official publication of the Federation of Spanish Oncology Societies and of the National Cancer Institute of Mexico · 2025
    Review
  6. Article
  7. Review
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  9. Biophysical and Biological Mechanisms of Tumor Treating Fields in Glioblastoma.Journal of cancer science and clinical therapeutics · 2024
    Article
  10. Review
  11. Review
  12. Review
  13. Review
  14. Review
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Edwin ChangDepartment of Radiology, Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford, Canary Center for Early Cancer Detection, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5672-0520
Christoph PohlingDepartment of Radiology, Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford, Canary Center for Early Cancer Detection, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA.
Nooshin BeyguiScripps College, Claremont, CA, USA.
Chirag B PatelDepartment of Radiology, Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford, Canary Center for Early Cancer Detection, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA.
Jarrett RosenbergDepartment of Radiology, Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford, Canary Center for Early Cancer Detection, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA.
Dong Ho HaDepartment of Radiology, Dong-A University Medical Center, Busan, Korea.
Sanjiv S GambhirDepartment of Radiology, Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford, Canary Center for Early Cancer Detection, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA. sgambhir@stanford.edu.
Stanford University · USDong-A University · KRScripps College · US

Funding

Stanford Neurosurgery Resident Research Education ProgramR25NS065741 · NINDS · STANFORD UNIVERSITY · PI HAYDEN GEPHART, MELANIE, PORTER, BRENDA ELAINE · 2009 to 2022
$2.0M
NINDS NIH HHS R25 NS065741R25 Translational Neuroscience Training Grant R25NS065741
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most aggressive and lethal form of brain cancer. Standard therapies are non-specific and often of limited effectiveness; thus, efforts are underway to uncover novel, unorthodox therapies against GBM. In previous studies, we investigated Withaferin A, a steroidal lactone from Ayurvedic medicine that inhibits proliferation in cancers including GBM. Another novel approach, tumor treating fields (TTFields), is thought to disrupt mitotic spindle formation and stymie proliferation of actively dividing cells. We hypothesized that combining TTFields with Withaferin A would synergistically inhibit proliferation in glioblastoma. Human glioblastoma cells (GBM2, GBM39, U87-MG) and human breast adenocarcinoma cells (MDA-MB-231) were isolated from primary tumors. The glioma cell lines were genetically engineered to express firefly luciferase. Proliferative potential was assessed either by bioluminescence imaging or cell counting via hemocytometer. TTFields (4 V/cm) significantly inhibited growth of the four cancer cell lines tested (n = 3 experiments per time point, four measurements per sample, p < 0.02 at least; 2-way ANOVA, control vs. treatment). The combination of Withaferin A (10-100 nM) with TTFields significantly inhibited the growth of the glioma cells to a degree beyond that of Withaferin A or TTFields alone. The interaction of the Withaferin A and TTFields on glioma cells was found to be synergistic in nature (p < 0.01, n = 3 experiments). These findings were validated by both bioluminescence and hemocytometric measurements. The combination of Withaferin A with TTFields represents a novel approach to treat GBM in a manner that is likely better than either treatment alone and that is synergistic.

Indexed as

Cell ProliferationElectric Stimulation TherapyAdenocarcinomaAntineoplastic AgentsBrain NeoplasmsBreast NeoplasmsCell Line, TumorCombined Modality TherapyDoxorubicinGliomaHumansLuciferases, FireflyTemperatureWithanolidesAntineoplastic AgentsDoxorubicinLuciferases, Fireflywithaferin AWithanolidesAlternating electric fieldsCombination therapyGlioblastomaSynergyTumor treating fieldsWithaferin A

Identifiers

PMID28681243
PMCPMC5711586
OpenAlexW2731311109

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.