Methylmercury-l-Cysteine targeting L-type amino acid transporter conjugate cytotoxicity on C6 glioma cells.

Glioma is the most common primary tumor in the brain, accounting for about 40~50% of intracranial primary tumors. Most chemotherapeutic drugs have difficulty in penetrating the blood-brain barrier, and their clinical applications are greatly limited. We evaluated the effects of methylmercury-L-cysteine (MeHg-L-cys) and methylmercury chloride (MMC) on apoptosis of C6 glioma cells. L-type amino acid transporter (LAT1) was used to investigate the targeted transport function and cytotoxicity of MeHg- L-cys in glioma. MeHg-L-cys enhanced the ability of targeting glioma cells and reduced the adverse reactions to normal brain tissues. Therefore, it is significantly important to develop new anti-glioma drugs targeting the blood-brain barrier.