Anticancer Activity of Cepharanthine on Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Cells

Cepharanthine (CEP), a biscoclaurine alkaloid from Stephania cepharanthine Hayata, demonstrated significant anticancer activity against non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells, specifically A549 and H1975 cell lines. The study found that CEP inhibited cell viability in a concentration-dependent manner, with IC50 values of 4.31±0.52 µM for A549 and 11.81±2.07 µM for H1975. CEP induced apoptosis by upregulating pro-apoptotic proteins Bax and Bak, downregulating anti-apoptotic proteins Bcl-2 and Bcl-XL, and promoting PARP cleavage. The apoptosis-inducing effects were linked to reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, as they were reduced by N-acetylcysteine (NAC), a ROS scavenger. CEP also modulated signaling pathways, inhibiting STAT3 and Akt in both cell lines, and affecting ERK signaling differently in each. These findings suggested that CEP could be developed as a novel anticancer drug for NSCLC.