Scientific article
OA Policy
English

Narciclasine as a Novel Treatment for Lung Cancer and Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma : Insights from 3D Tumor Spheroid Models

Published inInternational journal of molecular sciences, vol. 26, no. 20, 10127
Publication date2025-10-17
First online date2025-10-17
Abstract

Thoracic tumors, including lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) and malignant pleural mesothelioma (MM), remain a leading cause of cancer-related deaths, primarily due to the challenges in treating advanced thoracic tumors. New drugs with optimal efficacy and minimal side effects are required. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) compounds offer a promising alternative. Our study explores the effectiveness of the TCM compound Narciclasine against LUAD and MM. Spheroids derived from LUAD (A549, LuCa1) and MM (MSTO-211H, H2052/484) cell lines were treated with Narciclasine, and efficacy was evaluated through cell morphology analysis, intracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATPi) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assays, RT-qPCR, and western blot analysis. Narciclasine reduced cell viability, with an 80% reduction in viability in MM. It induced cell apoptosis and inhibited proliferation. The IC50 values for Narciclasine ranged from 50 to 150 nM. In silico analysis identified shared gene targets between Narciclasine, LUAD, and MM. Narciclasine modulated the expression of genes associated with ferroptosis and cuproptosis, and the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. Narciclasine shows promising efficacy against LUAD and MM spheroid models. These findings warrant further investigation into the mechanisms of action and potential clinical application of Narciclasine for treating thoracic malignancies, offering hope for improved therapeutic options and patient outcomes.

Keywords
  • Lung cancer
  • Malignant pleural mesothelioma
  • Narciclasine
  • Spheroids
  • Traditional Chinese medicine
  • Humans
  • Spheroids, Cellular / drug effects
  • Spheroids, Cellular / metabolism
  • Spheroids, Cellular / pathology
  • Mesothelioma, Malignant / drug therapy
  • Lung Neoplasms / drug therapy
  • Lung Neoplasms / metabolism
  • Lung Neoplasms / pathology
  • Phenanthridines / pharmacology
  • Apoptosis / drug effects
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cell Proliferation / drug effects
  • Cell Survival / drug effects
  • Amaryllidaceae Alkaloids / pharmacology
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic / drug effects
  • Pleural Neoplasms / drug therapy
  • Pleural Neoplasms / pathology
Citation (ISO format)
JIANG, Sicong et al. Narciclasine as a Novel Treatment for Lung Cancer and Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma : Insights from 3D Tumor Spheroid Models. In: International journal of molecular sciences, 2025, vol. 26, n° 20, p. 10127. doi: 10.3390/ijms262010127
Main files (1)
Article (Published version)
Secondary files (1)
Supplemental data
accessLevelPublic
Identifiers
Additional URL for this publicationhttps://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/26/20/10127
Journal ISSN1422-0067
12views
18downloads

Technical informations

Creation14/04/2026 14:35:51
First validation22/04/2026 09:45:04
Update22/04/2026 09:45:04
Status update22/04/2026 09:45:04
Last indexation22/04/2026 09:45:06
All rights reserved by Archive ouverte UNIGE and the University of GenevaunigeBlack