According to Xinhua News Agency, Sydney, June 6th, an international team involving Australian researchers recently reported in the international journal “Pharmaceuticals” that they found in laboratory studies that the natural compound berberine can inhibit the proliferation of lung cancer cells, which is expected to be used for treatment Lung cancer.

UTS researcher Kamal Dua, one of the authors of the paper, said they tested the effects of berberine in the laboratory with a line of lung adenocarcinoma cells and found expression levels of genes and proteins associated with tumors and cancer. Obvious reduction. In addition, berberine inhibited oxidative stress and cell damage caused by cigarette smoke in healthy lung cells grown in the laboratory.

Berberine can be extracted from a variety of natural plants. However, its medicinal value is limited by some factors, such as the general water solubility of berberine and its difficulty in being absorbed by the intestinal tract.

Dua said that they developed a nano-scale liquid crystal particle as a delivery vehicle, encapsulating berberine in a highly soluble and biodegradable polymer and delivering it to the target area.

The researchers said that berberine is expected to be used in the treatment of lung cancer and other diseases, and will further explore the optimal formulation of berberine delivery with nanoparticles, hoping to achieve clinical application as soon as possible.