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Updated: Feb 15, 2026

A Flow Cytometry-Based Cytotoxicity Assay for the Assessment of Human NK Cell Activity
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Flavones and Aminoflavones Increase the Cytotoxicity of NK Cells in Human Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Ping-Chih Hsu1,2, Chih-Cheng Chien3, Yang-Je Cheng4

  • 1Division of Thoracic Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Taoyuan, Taiwan.

Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine
|February 13, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Synthetic aminoflavone 8 boosts natural killer (NK) cell anti-cancer activity against lung cancer. This compound enhances NK cell effectiveness and shows promise as a novel lung cancer therapy.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Pharmacology
  • Oncology

Background:

  • Flavonoids and aminoflavones possess anti-cancer properties.
  • Their immunomodulatory effects, particularly on natural killer (NK) cells, are underexplored.
  • Understanding these interactions is crucial for novel cancer therapies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the immunomodulatory effects of synthetic flavones and aminoflavones on NK cell cytotoxicity against lung cancer.
  • To evaluate the therapeutic potential of aminoflavone 8 in preclinical lung cancer models.

Main Methods:

  • Assessed NK-92MI cell cytotoxicity against A549 lung cancer cells and MRC5 normal cells.
  • Measured expression of cytotoxic effectors (IFN-γ, perforin, granzyme B) and STAT3 phosphorylation.
  • Evaluated anti-tumour effects of aminoflavone 8 in a lung cancer xenograft mouse model.

Main Results:

  • Flavones 2, 3, 6 and aminoflavone 8 increased NK cell cytotoxicity against lung cancer cells without harming normal cells.
  • Aminoflavone 8 significantly enhanced NK cell effector molecule expression and inhibited STAT3 phosphorylation.
  • Combined aminoflavone 8 and NK-92MI cell therapy demonstrated synergistic anti-tumour effects in vivo with no observed liver or kidney toxicity.

Conclusions:

  • Aminoflavone 8 effectively potentiates NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity against lung cancer.
  • The C6 amino group is critical for aminoflavone 8's enhanced NK cell activity.
  • Aminoflavone 8 represents a promising novel therapeutic agent for lung cancer treatment.
Keywords:
aminoflavoneanti‐cancerflavonelung cancernatural killer

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