Background/Aim: Lung cancer notably contributes to tumor-associated mortality worldwide, and standard chemotherapy is used for lung cancer patients. However, its therapeutic efficacy remains unsatisfactory. This study aimed to evaluate the effects and molecular mechanisms of sorafenib and bufalin combination therapy on lung cancer cells in vitro. Materials and Methods: NCI-H292 cells were treated with sorafenib, bufalin, and sorafenib in combination with bufalin. Cell viability, ROS production, Ca 2+ release, and mitochondrial membrane potential were examined by flow cytometric assay. Annexin V/PI staining and chromatin condensation were examined by the apoptosis assays. Finally the molecular mechanism of apoptosis-associated protein expression was investigated by western blotting. Results: NCI-H292 cells treated with sorafenib in combination with bufalin showed significantly decreased viability, enhanced cellular apoptosis, and DNA condensation when compared to that with sorafenib or bufalin alone. Moreover, the combination treatment exhibited higher reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and lower mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm). The combined treatment resulted in higher expression of SOD but lower catalase compared to sorafenib treatment alone. Compared to sorafenib or bufalin treatment alone, the combination treatment resulted in lower Bcl-2 expression but higher Bax, Bad, APAF-1, caspase-3, and caspase-9. Conclusion: Sorafenib in combination with bufalin shows more potent cytotoxic effects and cell apoptosis than sorafenib or bufalin treatment alone in NCI-H292 cells. The combined treatment significantly enhanced apoptotic cell death in NCI-H292 lung cancer cells by activating ROS-, mitochondria-, and caspase-signaling pathways in vitro.Cancer affects human health globally with its incidence being the most severe public issue of the 21 st century. The global number of lung cancer deaths remains high yearly (1). Lung cancers are mainly divided into two subtypes, including nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and small cell lung cancer (SCLC). However, the NSCLC subtype occupies about 80-85% of lung cancers (2). Currently, patients undergo surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, and targeted therapy as the most commonly used strategies for lung cancer. Yet clinical outcomes of current therapies remain unsatisfactory: the 5year survival rate of lung cancer patients is less than 15% (3), and that of patients with metastatic disease is less than 10% 582 This article is freely accessible online.

Background/Aim: Demethoxycurcumin (DMC), a derivate of curcumin from natural plants, exerts antitumor effects on various human cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. Nevertheless, no reports have disclosed whether DMC can affect the growth of human cervical cancer cells in vivo. Therefore we investigated the antitumor effects of DMC on a HeLa cell xenograft model in nude mice in this study. Materials and Methods: Twenty-four nude mice were subcutaneously injected with HeLa cells. All mice were randomly divided into control, low-dose DMC (30 mg/kg), and high-dose DMC (50 mg/kg) groups and individual mice were treated intraperitoneally accordingly every 2 days. Results: DMC significantly reduced tumor weights and volumes of HeLa cell xenografts in mice, indicating the suppression of growth of xenograft tumors. Conclusion: These effects and findings might provide evidence for investigating the potential use of DMC as an anti-cervical cancer drug in the future. Cervical cancer is the seventh most common cancer globally and the fourth most common type of cancer in women (1, 2). In 2018, there were an estimated 567,000 new cases and 311,000 deaths from cervical cancer globally (3). About 80% of cervical cancer arises in developing countries (3). Among females, cervical cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer and the third leading cause of cancer death in less developed countries (4, 5). In Taiwan, the 2017 annual report of the Ministry of Health and Welfare indicated that approximately four individuals per 100,000 die annually with cervical cancer, and it was the eighth cause of cancer-related death (6). Currently, surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy are four main treatment options for cervical cancer; however, the treatment of patients with cervical cancer depends on the cancer stage and tumor location according to diagnosis and characteristics of the patients (7, 8). The incidence of cervical cancer is increasing worldwide. Chemotherapy is one of the strategies for treatment and it has been demonstrated to trigger effective response and improves overall survival in many patients. However, cancer may develop resistance to chemotherapies and lead to treatment failure (9, 10). Other side-effects of the current chemotherapy treatment of patients with cervical cancer are fatigue, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea (11). Therefore, many studies have focused on finding and seeking new compounds from natural products for treating cervical cancer.