Jinfukang induces cellular apoptosis through activation of and in A549 cells.

The traditional Chinese medicine Jinfukang (JFK) has been shown as a valuable drug to treat non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Previously, it was reported that JFK-induced epigenetic alteration is involved in anti-lung cancer activity. In the present study, the effect of JFK on lung cancer cell lines was examined with the aim to further understand the underlying mechanisms of JFK-induced anti-lung cancer activity by transcriptome profiling analysis. JFK was observed to decrease lung cancer cell viability and simultaneously induce cellular morphology alteration. Additionally, this causes cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in A549 cells. The present RNA-seq analysis identified 5,281 genes with differential expression (P<0.05). Gene ontology analysis indicated that genes involved in the cell cycle pathway are downregulated, including cyclin-dependent kinase 2, cyclin-dependent kinase 4, cyclin B1 and cyclin A2, and apoptosis-associated genes are upregulated, including , death receptor 4 (), tumor protein P53 binding protein 2 and BCL2 interacting protein 3 like. Particularly, the present results indicate knockdown of and attenuates JFK-induced apoptosis in A549 cells. Overall, the present study suggests JFK induces cellular apoptosis through activation of and in A549 cells and provides an insight for understanding the antitumor mechanisms of this Chinese traditional medicine.