BmKCT toxin inhibits glioma proliferation and tumor metastasis

Malignant gliomas are the most common primary brain tumors associated with significant morbidity and mortality. How to target the tumor in situ, and inhibit tumor cell proliferation and invasion is the key for therapy. Gliomas express a glioma-specific chloride ion channel that is sensitive to toxins including BmKCT. In the current study, the inhibitory effect of BmKCT on glioma growth was observed in vivo using the glioma/SD rat model. Furthermore, BmKCT prevented the metastasis of glioma cells in vivo. Moreover, biodistribution experiments with I-131-labeled or Cy5.5-conjugated BmKCT revealed that BmKCT selectively targeted the glioma in situ. Our data suggest that BmKCT could be exploited as a potential therapeutic for glioma diagnosis and therapy. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.