In Vitro and in Vivo Antitumor Evaluation of Berbamine for Lung Cancer Treatment

Purpose: Lung cancer, one of the most frequently diagnosed cancers in the world, is characterized byrelatively high morbidity and mortality. Berbamine (BER) has been initially reported to exert anti-proliferativeeffects against a series of cancers.
Methods: In this study the in vitro cytotoxicity of BER was measured by MTTassay. In vivo anti-cancer efficacy of BER was assessed in A549 xenografts.
Results: Cytotoxicity tests showeddose-dependent cell growth inhibition effects of BER against A549 cells. Moreover, BER significantly reducedthe growth of lung cancer in a dose-dependent manner in nude mice with prolonged survival time.
Conclusion:Therefore, BER might be in herbal medicine for cancer therapy and further efforts are needed to exploretherapeutic strategies.