Fig. 1

Trehalose induces cytoplasmic vacuolization in glioblastoma U373-MG cells. Phase-contrast microscopy images of live U373-MG cells left untreated (A) or treated for 48 h with trehalose 30 mM (B), 60 mM (C), 90 mM (D), or 120 mM (E). Cells treated with 90 mM trehalose for 72 h (F), or with 120 mM trehalose for 18 h (G). Scale bar = 50 mm. Percentage of vacuolized cells after 30–120 mM trehalose treatment for 48 h (H); cells containing one or more phase-lucent vesicles with diameter > 3 mm or containing more than 4 smaller vacuoles were counted as positive. Results are presented as mean ± SE of at least four independent experiments. *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, and ***p < 0.001, significantly different from control cells