Synergy of pancratistatin and tamoxifen on breast cancer cells in inducing apoptosis by targeting mitochondria

Pancratistatin (PST), a natural compound obtained from the Hawaiian spider lily, is known to be specific and selective in inducing apoptosis in multiple cancer cell lines while sparing noncancerous cells and cell lines. Here we report the ability of PST to induce apoptosis specifically in human breast cancer cell lines MCF-7 and Hs-578-T compared to their non cancerous counterparts. In cancer cells PST caused increased levels of reactive oxygen …