Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 13, 2026

Through the Looking Glass: Time-lapse Microscopy and Longitudinal Tracking of Single Cells to Study Anti-cancer Therapeutics
Published on: May 14, 2016
Cepharanthine exerts antitumor activity on cholangiocarcinoma by inhibiting NF-kappaB
Wunchana Seubwai1, Kulthida Vaeteewoottacharn, Masateru Hiyoshi
1Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand.
Abstract:
Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a major cause of cancer deaths in northeast Thailand. It is aggressive, highly metastatic, and responds poorly to traditional chemotherapy. We demonstrated the potential for Cepharanthine (CEP), a biscoclaurine alkaloid extracted from Stephania cepharantha, to treat CCA. CEP significantly inhibited growth of human CCA cell lines in a dose- and time-dependent manner, regardless of the histologic type of tumor origin. Increasing cell apoptosis via caspase-3 and capase-9 activation was demonstrated in CEP-treated cells. We found that CEP controlled the growth of CCA cells through nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappaB) inactivation by inhibiting nuclear translocation. CEP treatment effectively reduced tumor size in CCA-inoculated mice without serious side effects. CEP also increased cell apoptosis in primary histocultures of CCA patients' tissues; this was demonstrated by immunohistochemistry using TUNEL staining. Our results suggest that CEP possesses therapeutic potential against human CCA.
Related Concept Videos
Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting: Neurokinin-1 Receptor Antagonists
NF-κB-dependent Signaling Pathway
NF-κB-dependent Signaling Mechanism
The heterodimer of NF-κB...
Inhibition of Cdk Activity
Inhibition of CDK Activity
Targeted Cancer Therapies
There are several types of targeted therapies against specific...