Cancer letters
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This study is the first to investigate the anticancer effect of plumbagin in human melanoma A375. S2 cells. Plumbagin exhibited effective cell growth inhibition by inducing cancer cells to undergo S-G2/M phase arrest and apoptosis. ⋯ In addition, antioxidants vitamin C and catalase significantly decreased plumbagin-mediated c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) activation and apoptosis. Moreover, blocking ERK and JNK by specific inhibitors suppressed plumbagin-triggered mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. Taken together, these results imply a critical role for ROS and JNK in the plumbagin's anticancer activity.