Recently, small compound-based
therapies have provided new insights into the treatment of
glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) by inducing oxidative impairment.
Kinetin riboside (KR) and newly designed derivatives (8-azaKR, 7-deazaKR) selectively affect the molecular pathways crucial for cell growth by interfering with the redox status of
cancer cells. Thus, these compounds might serve as potential alternatives in the oxidative
therapy of GBM. The increased basal levels of
reactive oxygen species (ROS) in GBM support the survival of
cancer cells and cause drug resistance. The simplest approach to induce cell death is to achieve the redox threshold and circumvent the
antioxidant defense mechanisms. Consequently, cells become more sensitive to oxidative stress (OS) caused by exogenous agents. Here, we investigated the effect of KR and its derivatives on the redox status of T98G cells in 2D and 3D cell culture. The use of spheroids of T98G cells enabled the selection of one derivative-7-deazaKR-with comparable antitumor activity to KR. Both compounds induced ROS generation and genotoxic OS, resulting in lipid peroxidation and leading to apoptosis. Taken together, these results demonstrated that KR and 7-deazaKR modulate the cellular redox environment of T98G cells, and vulnerability of these cells is dependent on their
antioxidant capacity.