Das Migrations- sowie Invasionspotential von malignen Meningeom-Zellen hängt von der Glukose-Konzentration sowie der Glykierung ab

Meningioma is the most common non-malignant intracranial tumour and the risk of developing the disease increases with age. It is known that glucose tolerance decreases with age, leading to higher glucose levels. Like almost all tumours, meningiomas use altered aerobic glycolysis to generate energy, also known as the Warburg effect. This leads to an accumulation of highly reactive by-products such as methylglyoxal (MGO). MGO has been discussed by as a possible link between diabetes, serum glucose levels and cancer. MGO is 20,000 times more reactive than glucose and reacts mainly with proteins, DNA or lipids to form advanced glycation end products (AGEs), a non-enzymatic reaction between the carbonyl groups of dicarbonyls or sugars (such as glucose or fructose) and the amino groups of proteins. However, whether the behaviour of meningiomas depends on glucose levels and glycation has not been investigated. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of glucose levels and glycation on the migration and invasion behaviour of meningioma cells.

We used a benign meningioma cell line (WHO grade 1, BEN-MEN1) and a malignant meningioma cell line (WHO grade 3, IOMM-Lee). Cells were cultured for 24h with different glucose levels: normal (5.5mM), low (3mM) and high (15mM) and additionally treated with 0.3mM MGO. Cell cycle analysis was performed with propidium iodide staining using a BD Accuri C6 flow cytometer. Migration was analysed by Electric Cell-substrate Impedance Sensing (ECIS) and invasive behaviour by Real-Time Cell Analysis (RTCA).

We have observed that the cell cycle in the malignant meningioma cell line is influenced by different glucose levels and glycation. At low glucose levels, the cell cycle was slowed down. In addition, the malignant tumour cells showed reduced migration and invasion behaviour at low glucose levels. With the addition of the glycating agent MGO, we saw no more migration and a reduction in invasive behaviour. In contrast, these effects were not observed in the benign meningioma cell line.

This study shows that low glucose levels can reduce the migration and invasion behaviour of malignant meningioma cells. This could be an indication that the western lifestyle may influence the behaviour of meningioma cells. An appropriate diet with a reduction in carbohydrates could lead to a better oncological outcome for patients. This should be further investigated in future studies.