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

Cepharanthine (CEP) demonstrated significant anticancer activity against non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells, specifically A549 and H1975 cell lines, by inhibiting cell viability in a concentration-dependent manner with IC50 values of 4.31±0.52 µM and 11.81±2.07 µM, respectively. The study found that CEP induced apoptosis through the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), as evidenced by the diminished effect when pretreated with the ROS scavenger N-acetylcysteine (NAC). CEP modulated key signaling pathways, including the inhibition of STAT3 and Akt in both cell lines, and affected the ERK pathway differently in each cell line. These findings suggested that CEP could be developed as a novel anticancer drug for lung cancer due to its potent cytotoxic effects and ability to modulate critical signaling pathways.