Influnce of taxol radiosensitization on apoptosis and proliferation of glioblastoma in vitro

Objective: To determine the influnce of taxol radiosensitization on apoptosis and proliferation of glioblastoma.Methods: 1. The cells treated with taxol or/and radiation （RT） were harvested at 6 h intervals within 48 hours. Flow cytometry was performed to estimate the percentage of apoptosis. 2. The cells treated with taxol or/and RT were incubated for 4 d, and then silver staining and AgNORs count were performed.Results: The peak incidence of apoptosis occurred at 24 h after RT. The percentage of apoptosis in taxol plus RT group was higher than that in only RT group, especially when cells were irradiated with 2 to 4 Gy. The numbers of AgNORs/cell were 22.8 in control, 16.2 in taxol, 15.5 in RT and 6.4 in taxol plus RT group respectively. Conclusion: Taxol may enhance radiation induced apoptosis. Proliferation of glioblastoma cells can be inhibited significantly by RT with taxol.