[Growth-suppression effect of hydroxyurea on meningioma cells in vitro].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the tumor-suppression effect of hydroxyurea on meningioma cells and its possible mechanism. METHODS: The meningioma cells were cultured in medium containing varied doses of hydroxyurea (5x10(-3)mol/L, 5x10(-4)mol/L, 5x10(-5)mol/L), the cell growth was measured by MTT method, cell apoptosis was observed with flow cytometry (FCM). RESULTS: MTT measurement demonstrated that the administration of hydroxyurea led to a dose-dependent suppression in cell proliferation and FCM showed a dose-dependent increase in apoptosis rate. CONCLUSION: Hydroxyurea can inhibit meningioma cell growth in vitro, which is most likely associated with apoptosis of the tumor cells.