Caffeine inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis of C6 and U87MG cells, leading to an imbalance in the ratio of proliferation and apoptosis. The apoptosis might be promoted by the motivation of the caspase-3 signaling pathway, which is induced by the release of Cyt-C as well as the elevated rate of Bax/Bcl-2 1).

1)
Liu JD, Song LJ, Yan DJ, Feng YY, Zang YG, Yang Y. Caffeine inhibits the growth of glioblastomas through activating the caspase-3 signaling pathway in vitro. Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2015 Aug;19(16):3080-3088. PubMed PMID: 26367732.