Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 28, 2026

Sonodynamic Therapy for the Treatment of Glioblastoma Multiforme in a Mouse Model Using a Portable Benchtop Focused Ultrasound System
Published on: February 10, 2023
Calcium overload induces C6 rat glioma cell apoptosis in sonodynamic therapy
Jian-Hua Li1, Wu Yue, Zheng Huang
1Department of Neurosurgery, The Fourth College Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, PR China. doctorlijianhua@163.com
Purpose:
Our aim was to study calcium overload-induced apoptosis and its relation to reactive oxygen species (ROS) in rat C6 glioma cells after sonodynamic treatment (SDT).
Materials And Methods:
Hematoporphyrin monomethyl ether (HMME) was used as the sonosensitizer. The concentration of intracellular Ca(2+) ([Ca(2+)](i)) was measured by fluorometry. Apoptosis and necrosis rates were evaluated by a flow cytometry. Moreover, sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+) -ATPase (SERCA(2)), cytochrome c (cyto-c) and cleaved caspase-3 were investigated by immunoblotting.
Results:
Our study indicated that [Ca(2 +)](i) and ROS increased in cells of SDT group, the apoptosis rate, quantity of cyto-c and cleaved caspase-3 markedly increased after SDT. Furthermore, N-Acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) or 1,2-bisethane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid tetrakis ester (BAPTA-AM) could decrease the apoptosis rate, the release of cyto-c and cleaved caspase-3 in SDT group, SERCA(2) degradation was found in SDT group and could also be prevented by the addition of NAC.
Conclusions:
Our results show that HMME-SDT can induce C6 cell death through both necrosis and apoptosis. ROS in C6 cells play a decisive role in HMME-SDT-induced cell death. The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) may be a major target of HMME-SDT, ROS can induce SERCA(2) degradation, causing the elevation of [Ca(2+)](i).
