Photodynamic treatment in glioma: Metabolic and structural evaluation after therapy

Gliomas are malignant tumors of the central nervous system, and one severe variant is called gliosarcoma. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a technique that stands out in the oncology area for minimizing side effects for the patient, triggering cell death at the site of irradiation, and can be used concomitantly with conventional treatments. This study aimed to evaluate the interaction of chlorine e6 with the cytoskeleton and mitochondria, as well as morphological changes and the death mechanism triggered after PDT. Chlorin e6 was used at concentrations of 200, 12.5, and 6.25 μg/mL, and cytoskeletal changes were analyzed by alpha-tubulin staining and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) analysis by JC-1 and Rhodamine 123 in flow cytometry. Surface features were examined using scanning electron microscopy, and the type of cell death mechanism was determined by flow cytometry with annexin and propidium iodide. Changes in the cytoskeleton were observed after PDT. Cytometry showed that cell death occurred predominantly via the apoptosis pathway, followed by the necrosis pathway. Chlorin e6 associated with PDT causes damage to gliosarcoma cells, regardless of concentration, showing cytoskeletal disruption, a decrease in MMP, and the percentage of cell death varies according to the concentration of PS.