TY - JOUR T1 - Magnolol can induce apoptosis in non-small cell lung cancer via caspase-independent pathway JF - European Respiratory Journal JO - Eur Respir J VL - 38 IS - Suppl 55 SP - p2799 AU - Shih-Hung Chu AU - Po-Len Liu AU - Jong-Rung Tsai AU - Inn-Wen Chong Y1 - 2011/09/01 UR - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/38/Suppl_55/p2799.abstract N2 - Magnolol is a traditional Chinese herbs drug purified from Magnolia officinalis which has multiple pharmacological properties such as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. Magnolol exhibited remarkable inhibitory effects on tumor growth. However, the effect of Magnolol on non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has not been clarified. In this study, the NSCLC cell lines (A549, H520, H441 and HPAEC) were treated with different concentrations (0∼100μM)of Magnolol for 24 hrs and the cytotoxic effect of Magnolol positively correlated with its concentration. Moreover, the chemotherapy drug Cisplatin at the dose of 25μM had the same cytotoxic effect as Magnolol at 80μM on NSCLC cell lines. Flow cytometry assay revealed that pretreatment with Magnolol at the dose of 80μM for 24 hours could induce apotosis in A549 cells. We also illustrated that membrane potential of mitochondria in A549, H520 and H441 cells started to decrease within 15 min after treatment with Magnolol by staining cancer cells with JC-1 dye. To clarify the mechanism of Magnolol-induced cell apoptosis, the mitochondria and nuclear proteins of NSCLC cell lines were measured by western blotting after treatment with Magnolol at various concentrations for 6hr, and the results revealed that apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) and endonuclease G (Endo G) induced by Magnolol translocated from mitochondria to nucleus, suggesting that the Magnolol-induced apoptosis is mediated through caspase-independent pathway. In conclusion, Magnolol can induce apoptosis of NSCLC cells. In addition, the apoptosis in NSCLC cells involves, most likely, caspase-independent pathway in NSCLC cells. ER -