Abstract: Objective To observe the effect of Morphine on the proliferation of glioblastoma T98G and U118MG cells and to explore the possible mechanism. Methods Glioblastoma T98G and U118MG cells were cultured in plates for 24 h and randomly divided into five groups: control (con), Morphine 0.1 μmol/L(M1), 1.0 μmol/L (M2), 10.0 μmol/L (M3) and 100.0 μmol/L (M4). MTS and BrdU methods were used to detect the proliferation of glioblastoma T98G and U118MG cells-treated with Morphine for 24 h and 48 h. Western blot analysis was applied for determing the levels of p-ERK1/2 and cyclin D1 protein expression. Results Compared with control group, morphine in M3 and M4 groups significantly promoted the proliferation of T98G and U118MG cells (P <0.05) in a concentration-and time-dependent manner. In addition, the levels of ERK1/2 phosphorylation and cyclin D1 protein expression significantly increased in both M3 and M4 groups as compared with that of control group (P <0.05). Conclusions Morphine may promote the proliferation of glioblastoma T98G and U118MG cells through activating the ERK1/2 signaling pathway.

Key words: Morphine, Glioblastoma, Cell proliferation, ERK1/2, Cyclin D1.