A berry compound may help chemo work better on glioblastoma cells
Original title: Glycosylated Delphinidins, Natural Antioxidants, Functionally Modulate the COX-2/PGE2 Axis and Downregulate MDR1 in Glioblastoma Cells.
How far along is this research?
- Lab cells
- Animals
- Review
- Tested in people
This was done on cells in a lab, not in people. It is a very early step.
This was only done in cells in a dish and in mice.
The short version
In lab tests, a compound from Chilean maqui berries made glioblastoma: The fastest-growing type of glioma (grade 4). Treatment usually starts soon after diagnosis: surgery first, then radiation and chemotherapy. See the glossary cells easier for chemo drugs to kill.
What was studied. Researchers tested delphinidin-3-glucoside, called DEL-3, a natural antioxidant found in Chilean berries. They used two kinds of glioblastoma: The fastest-growing type of glioma (grade 4). Treatment usually starts soon after diagnosis: surgery first, then radiation and chemotherapy. See the glossary cells grown in the lab, U87-MG and GBM38, plus tumors grown in mice.
What they found. DEL-3 lowered the cells' production of PGE2, a substance tied to swelling and inflammation. It also turned down MDR1, a pump that helps tumor cells push chemo drugs back out. When DEL-3 was given with chemo drugs that the pump acts on, more U87-MG cells were killed. In mice, DEL-3 did not clearly shrink the tumors, but MDR1 was still lower in the treated tumors.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: glioblastoma: The fastest-growing type of glioma (grade 4). Treatment usually starts soon after diagnosis: surgery first, then radiation and chemotherapy. See the glossary often resists chemo. This work points to one possible way to weaken that resistance. It is an early idea that scientists can keep testing.
What it doesn't mean: This is lab and animal work only. It was done in cells in a dish and in mice, not in people. It does not mean eating maqui berries or taking a berry supplement will treat a brain tumor. In the mice, the tumors did not clearly get smaller. This is not a cure, and it is not something a doctor can offer today.
Source: PubMed, August 13, 2026 · Read the original
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