The antiproliferative effect of C(2)-ceramide on lung cancer cells through apoptosis by inhibiting Akt and NFκB

The anticancer effects of ceramide have been reported in many types of cancers but less in lung cancer. In this study, we used C(2)-ceramide to further investigate its possible anticancer effects and mechanisms on non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) H1299 cells. The result of cell proliferation in terms of trypan blue assay showed high dose of C(2)-ceramide inhibited cell survival after 24 h treatment. The flow cytometry-based assays indicated the effect of apoptosis, chromatin condensation, and G(1) arrest in terms of Annexin V/propidium iodide (PI), DAPI, and PI stainings, respectively. Moreover, the decreased protein level of p-Akt, p-NFκB, survivin and cyclin A2 were detected by Western blot assay. Taken together, these results indicated the antiproliferative effect of C(2)-ceramide is majorly responsible for cell apoptosis in lung cancer H1299 cells.