Synergistic increase in anti-cancer stemness activity and pro-apoptotic effects in human glioblastoma cancer stem-like cells by combination treatment with temozolomide and corosolic acid.

Chuan-Yi Kao, Hsiang-Yao Shih, Yi-Hsien Hsieh, Chung-Jung Liu, Ming-Chun Hung, Jeng-Yih Wu, Yi-Chen Lin, Chien-Min Chen

Abstract read

In one paragraph

Article in International journal of medical sciences, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it

0cells of the map it votes in

1citing papers in PubMed

–field-weighted citation impact

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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

Butyl and isobutyl ortho-coumaric acid derivatives reduce self-renewal and MGMT expression in GBM cells with stem cell-like characteristicsBiomolecules & biomedicine · 2026
Article

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

8 authors.

Chuan-Yi KaoInstitute of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.

Hsiang-Yao ShihDivision of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

Yi-Hsien HsiehInstitute of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.

Chung-Jung LiuDivision of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

Ming-Chun HungInstitute of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.

Jeng-Yih WuDivision of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

Yi-Chen LinInstitute of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.

Chien-Min ChenDivision of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, Changhua Christian Hospital, Changhua, Taiwan.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Glioblastoma (GB) is a highly aggressive brain cancer with poor prognosis and a five-year survival rate of only 4-5%, largely due to challenges in surgical removal and radiotherapy limitations. Corosolic acid (CA), a natural pentacyclic triterpene, exhibits promising anti-cancer activity against GB. In this study, we founded that GBM8401-derived cancer stem cells (GBM8401-CSCs) display increased stemness, proliferation, migration, invasion, and elevated cancer stemness factors (Nestin, OCT4, CD133) compared to parental cells. CA treatment dose-dependently inhibited these malignant features and downregulated key cancer stemness genes. Combined with Temozolomide (TMZ), CA synergistically suppressed GBM8401-CSCs growth, colony formation, migration, invasion, and promoted apoptosis more effectively than either CA or TMZ alone and significantly reduced sphere formation and cancer stemness gene expression. Molecular docking results show a strong affinity of TMZ and CA for CD133 and OCT4 proteins, highlighting distinct molecular interactions. These results suggest that CA, especially in combination with TMZ, holds therapeutic potential for targeting human GB-CSCs.

Indexed as

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy ProtocolsBrain NeoplasmsGlioblastomaNeoplastic Stem CellsTemozolomideTriterpenesAC133 AntigenApoptosisCell Line, TumorCell MovementCell ProliferationDrug SynergismGene Expression Regulation, NeoplasticHumansMolecular Docking SimulationOctamer Transcription Factor-3AC133 Antigencorosolic acidOctamer Transcription Factor-3POU5F1 protein, humanPROM1 protein, humanTemozolomideTriterpenesApoptosisCancer stem cellsCorosolic AcidGlioblastomaInvasionMigrationTemozolomide

Identifiers

PMID41209573

DOI10.7150/ijms.122961

PMCPMC12595330

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LicenceCC BY

Read underepoch 390

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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.