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Updated: Aug 18, 2026
Assessment of the Cytotoxic and Immunomodulatory Effects of Substances in Human Precision-cut Lung Slices
Published on: May 9, 2018
Silibinin induces growth inhibition and apoptotic cell death in human lung carcinoma cells
Girish Sharma1, Rana P Singh, Daniel C Chan
1Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, 4200 East 9th Avenue, Box C238, Denver, CO 80262, USA.
Background:
The high systemic toxicity of chemotherapeutic agents limits their use to treat clinical lung cancer. These limitations could be minimized/overcome by using non-toxic phytochemicals, like, silibinin.
Materials And Methods:
We used small cell lung carcinoma cells (SCLC) SHP-77 and non-small cell lung carcinoma cells (NSCLC) A-549, analyzing cell growth inhibition and death with Trypan blue exclusion, indices of the cell cycle progression with flow cytometry and apoptosis with propidium iodide and Hoechst 33342.
Results:
Silibinin (25, 50 and 100 microM) treatment of SHP-77 and A-549 cells resulted in their growth inhibition and cell death. Cell cycle studies showed a small increase in G0-G1 population at all the time intervals in SHP-77 cells, however, in A-549 cells, a slight increase in G0-G1 but strong increase in S-phases was observed at lower treatment times, and a strong increase in G0-G1 population at 72 hours. Quantitative apoptotic studies showed that silibinin causes apoptotic cell death in both a dose- and a time-dependent manner with SHP-77 cells showing more apoptotic effect than A-549 cells.
Conclusion:
Silibinin significantly induces growth inhibition, a moderate cell cycle arrest and a strong apoptotic death in both small cell and non-small cell human lung carcinoma cells, which warrants further studies to assess the efficacy of this non-toxic agent in animal lung tumor models.
Insights
Silibinin, a phytochemical, effectively inhibits growth and induces apoptosis in both small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) and non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) cells. Further research is recommended to evaluate its potential in animal lung tumor models.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Pharmacology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Chemotherapy for lung cancer faces limitations due to systemic toxicity.
- Phytochemicals like silibinin offer a potentially less toxic alternative for cancer treatment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the anti-cancer effects of silibinin on human lung carcinoma cell lines.
- To evaluate silibinin's impact on cell growth, cell cycle, and apoptosis.
Main Methods:
- Utilized small cell lung carcinoma (SHP-77) and non-small cell lung carcinoma (A-549) cell lines.
- Assessed cell viability using Trypan blue exclusion.
- Analyzed cell cycle progression via flow cytometry.
- Quantified apoptosis using propidium iodide and Hoechst 33342 staining.
Main Results:
- Silibinin demonstrated dose- and time-dependent inhibition of cell growth and induced cell death in both SCLC and NSCLC cells.
- Cell cycle analysis revealed varying degrees of arrest in G0-G1 and S phases, depending on cell type and treatment duration.
- Silibinin significantly induced apoptosis, with a more pronounced effect observed in SHP-77 (SCLC) cells compared to A-549 (NSCLC) cells.
Conclusions:
- Silibinin exhibits significant potential as an anti-cancer agent against human lung carcinoma.
- The compound induces growth inhibition, moderate cell cycle arrest, and substantial apoptotic cell death.
- Further investigation in animal models is warranted to explore silibinin's therapeutic efficacy for lung cancer.
