Anticancer cardamonin analogs suppress the activation of NF-kappaB pathway in lung cancer cells

Deciphering the Potentials of Cardamom in Cancer Prevention and Therapy: From Kitchen to Clinic

Cardamom (cardamum) is a spice produced from the seeds of several Elettaria and Amomum plants of the Zingiberaceae family. Cardamom has been demonstrated to offer numerous benefits, including its antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and other metabolic (anti-diabetic) properties, and its potential to reduce cancer risk. Recently, researchers have extracted and tested multiple phytochemicals from cardamom to assess their potential effectiveness against various types of human malignancy. These studies have indicated that cardamom can help overcome drug resistance to standard chemotherapy and protect against chemotherapy-induced toxicity due to its scavenging properties. Furthermore, chemical compounds in cardamom, including limonene, cymene, pinene, linalool, borneol, cardamonin, indole-3-carbinol, and diindolylmethane, primarily target the programmed cell death lignin-1 gene, which is more prevalent in cancer cells than in healthy cells. This review provides the medicinal properties and pharmacological uses of cardamom, its cellular effects, and potential therapeutic uses in cancer prevention and treatment, as well as its use in reducing drug resistance and improving the overall health of cancer patients. Based on previous preclinical studies, cardamom shows significant potential as an anti-cancer agent, but further exploration for clinical use is warranted due to its diverse mechanisms of action.

Methoxychalcones as potential anticancer agents for colon cancer: Is membrane perturbing potency relevant?

Chalcones are naturally produced by many plants, and constitute precursors for the synthesis of flavons and flavanons. They were shown to possess antibacterial, antifungal, anti-cancer, and anti- inflammatory properties. The goal of the study was to assess the suitability of three synthetic methoxychalcones as potential anticancer agents. In a panel of colon cancer cell lines they were demonstrated to be cytotoxic, proapoptotic, causing cell cycle arrest, and increasing intracellular level of reactive oxygen species. Anticancer activity of the compounds was not diminished in the presence of stool extract containing microbial enzymes that could change the structure of chalcones. Moreover, methoxychalcones interacted strongly with model phosphatidylcholine membranes as detected by differential scanning calorimetry. Metohoxychalcones particularly affected the properties of lipid domains in giant unilamellar liposomes formed from raft-mimicking lipid composition. This may be of importance since many molecular targets for therapy of metastatic colon cancer are raft-associated receptors (e.g., receptor tyrosine kinases). The importance of membrane perturbing potency of methoxychalcones for their biological activity was additionally corroborated by the results obtained by molecular modelling.

Targeting Cell Signaling Pathways in Lung Cancer by Bioactive Phytocompounds

Lung cancer is a heterogeneous group of malignancies with high incidence worldwide. It is the most frequently occurring cancer in men and the second most common in women. Due to its frequent diagnosis and variable response to treatment, lung cancer was reported as the top cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide in 2020. Many aberrant signaling cascades are implicated in the pathogenesis of lung cancer, including those involved in apoptosis (B cell lymphoma protein, Bcl-2-associated X protein, first apoptosis signal ligand), growth inhibition (tumor suppressor protein or gene and serine/threonine kinase 11), and growth promotion (epidermal growth factor receptor/proto-oncogenes/phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase). Accordingly, these pathways and their signaling molecules have become promising targets for chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic agents. Recent research provides compelling evidence for the use of plant-based compounds, known collectively as phytochemicals, as anticancer agents. This review discusses major contributing signaling pathways involved in the pathophysiology of lung cancer, as well as currently available treatments and prospective drug candidates. The anticancer potential of naturally occurring bioactive compounds in the context of lung cancer is also discussed, with critical analysis of their mechanistic actions presented by preclinical and clinical studies.

Anticancer Potential of Natural Chalcones: In Vitro and In Vivo Evidence

There is no doubt that significant progress has been made in tumor therapy in the past decades. However, the discovery of new molecules with potential antitumor properties still remains one of the most significant challenges in the field of anticancer therapy. Nature, especially plants, is a rich source of phytochemicals with pleiotropic biological activities. Among a plethora of phytochemicals, chalcones, the bioprecursors of flavonoid and isoflavonoids synthesis in higher plants, have attracted attention due to the broad spectrum of biological activities with potential clinical applications. Regarding the antiproliferative and anticancer effects of chalcones, multiple mechanisms of action including cell cycle arrest, induction of different forms of cell death and modulation of various signaling pathways have been documented. This review summarizes current knowledge related to mechanisms of antiproliferative and anticancer effects of natural chalcones in different types of malignancies including breast cancers, cancers of the gastrointestinal tract, lung cancers, renal and bladder cancers, and melanoma.

Cardamonin inhibits the expression of P-glycoprotein and enhances the anti-proliferation of paclitaxel on SKOV3-Taxol cells

Paclitaxel is widely used in the first-line treatment of ovarian cancer. Nevertheless, the development of acquired resistance to paclitaxel is a major obstacle for the therapy in clinic. Cardamonin is a novel anticancer chalcone which exhibits a wide range of pharmacological activities. However, the effect of cardamonin on paclitaxel-resistant ovarian cancer cells and its underlying molecular mechanisms are unknown. Here, we revealed whether cardamonin had a resensitivity for paclitaxel and furtherly explored the underlying mechanisms on SKOV3-Taxol cells. Our results showed that cardamonin combined with paclitaxel had a synergistic effect of anti-proliferation in SKOV3-Taxol cells, and CI was less than one. Cells apoptosis and G2/M phase arrest were enhanced by cardamonin with paclitaxel in a concentration-dependent way on SKOV3-Taxol cells (P < 0.05). Cardamonin significantly increased drug accumulation in SKOV3-Taxol cells (P < 0.05). Similar to verapamil, cardamonin decreased MDR1 mRNA and P-gp expression (P < 0.05). Cardamonin restrained NF-κB activation in SKOV3-Taxol cells (P < 0.05). Inhibitory effect of P-gp and NF-κB p65 (nuclear protein) expression was enhanced by cardamonin combined with PDTC, a NF-κB inhibitor. Cardamonin significantly inhibited the upregulation of NF-κB p65 (nuclear protein) and P-gp expression induced by TNF-α (P < 0.05). Taken together, cardamonin enhanced the effect of paclitaxel on inhibiting cell proliferation, inducing apoptosis and G2/M phase arrest, and then strengthened the cytotoxic effect of paclitaxel in SKOV3-Taxol cells. The mechanism might be involved in inhibition of P-gp efflux pump, reducing MDR1 mRNA and P-gp expression by cardamonin via suppression of NF-κB activation in SKOV3-Taxol cells.

An overview of the potential anticancer properties of cardamonin

Cancer is one of the leading causes of mortality, contributing to 9.6 million deaths globally in 2018 alone. Although several cancer treatments exist, they are often associated with severe side effects and high toxicities, leaving room for significant advancements to be made in the field. In recent years, several phytochemicals from plants and natural bioresources have been extracted and tested against various human malignancies using both in vitro and in vivo preclinical model systems. Cardamonin, a chalcone extracted from the Alpinia species, is an example of a natural therapeutic agent that has anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory effects against human cancer cell lines, including breast, lung, colon, and gastric, in both in vitro culture systems as well as xenograft mouse models. Earlier, cardamonin was used as a natural medicine against stomach related issues, diarrhea, insulin resistance, nephroprotection against cisplatin treatment, vasorelaxant and antinociceptive. The compound is well-known to inhibit proliferation, migration, invasion, and induce apoptosis, through the involvement of Wnt/β-catenin, NF-κB, and PI3K/Akt pathways. The good biosafety and pharmacokinetic profiling of cardamonin satisfy it as an attractive molecule for the development of an anticancer agent. The present review has summarized the chemo-preventive ability of cardamonin as an anticancer agent against numerous human malignancies.

Emerging roles of cardamonin, a multitargeted nutraceutical in the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases

Although chronic diseases are often caused by the perturbations in multiple cellular components involved in different biological processes, most of the approved therapeutics target a single gene/protein/pathway which makes them not as efficient as they are anticipated and are also known to cause severe side effects. Therefore, the pursuit of safe, efficacious, and multitargeted agents is imperative for the prevention and treatment of these diseases. Cardamonin is one such agent that has been known to modulate different signaling molecules such as transcription factors (NF-κB and STAT3), cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6) enzymes (COX-2, MMP-9 and ALDH1), other proteins and genes (Bcl-2, XIAP and cyclin D1), involved in the development and progression of chronic diseases. Multiple lines of evidence emerging from pre-clinical studies advocate the promising potential of this agent against various pathological conditions like cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, neurological disorders, inflammation, rheumatoid arthritis, etc., despite its poor bioavailability. Therefore, further studies are paramount in establishing its efficacy in clinical settings. Hence, the current review focuses on highlighting the underlying molecular mechanism of action of cardamonin and delineating its potential in the prevention and treatment of different chronic diseases.

M, Giribabu N, Abdul Majid AMS, Eid EEM, Alshawsh MA. Cardamonin Exerts Antitumor Effect on Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma Xenografts in Athymic Nude Mice through Inhibiting NF-κβ Pathway

Cardamonin (CADMN) exerts an in vitro antiproliferative and apoptotic actions against human hepatocellular carcinoma cells (HepG2). This study aimed to investigate the in vivo anti-tumorigenic action of CADMN against human hepatocellular carcinoma xenografts in an athymic nude mice, as well as to study the molecular docking and safety profile of this compound. Acute toxicity study demonstrated that CADMN is safe and well-tolerated up to 2000 mg/kg in ICR mice. Oral administration of 50 mg/kg/day of CADMN in xenografted nude mice showed a significant suppression in tumor growth as compared to untreated control group without pronounced toxic signs. Immunohistochemistry assay showed downregulation of proliferative proteins such as PCNA and Ki-67 in treated groups as compared to untreated control. Additionally, immunofluorescence analysis showed a significant downregulation in anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 protein, whereas pre-apoptotic Bax protein was significantly upregulated in nude mice treated with 25 and 50 mg/kg CADMN as compared to untreated mice. The findings also exhibited down-regulation of NF-κB-p65, and Ikkβ proteins, indicating that CADMN deactivated NF-κB pathway. The molecular docking studies demonstrated that CADMN exhibits good docking performance and binding affinities with various apoptosis and proliferation targets in hepatocellular cancer cells. In conclusion, CADMN could be a potential anticancer candidate against hepatocellular carcinoma. Other pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics properties, however, need to be further investigated in depth.

Cardamonin inhibits the proliferation and metastasis of non-small-cell lung cancer cells by suppressing the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway

Cardamonin, a natural chalcone compound, has been reported to exert anticancer effects in several cancers. However, the specific pharmacological actions of cardamonin on human non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and the potential mechanisms still remain obscure. Here, we investigated the antineoplastic role of cardamonin in NSCLC both in vitro and in vivo. The proliferation of five NSCLC cell lines was inhibited in a dose-dependent and time-dependent manner with cardamonin treatment. In A549 and H460 cells, cardamonin induced apoptosis by activating caspase-3, upregulating Bax, and downregulating Bcl-2. In addition, cardamonin arrested cells in the G2/M phase and inhibited the expression levels of cyclin D1/CDK4. Moreover, cell migration and invasion were suppressed by reversing epithelial-mesenchymal transition with cardamonin treatment. Further study showed that cardamonin reduced the phosphorylation levels of the downstream effectors of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), including protein kinase-B (Akt/PKB) and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR). Moreover, in the H460 xenograft model, cardamonin significantly retarded tumor growth. Also, in tumor tissues, we found that cardamonin treatment decreased the expression rates of Ki-67, p-Akt, and p-mTOR. These data suggest that cardamonin suppressed NSCLC cell proliferation and inhibited metastasis partly by restraining the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway and it might be an effective therapeutic compound for NSCLC in the future.

A small library of chalcones induce liver cancer cell death through Akt phosphorylation inhibition

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) ranks as the fifth most common and the second deadliest cancer worldwide. HCC is extremely resistant to the conventional chemotherapeutics. Hence, it is vital to develop new treatment options. Chalcones were previously shown to have anticancer activities in other cancer types. In this study, 11 chalcones along with quercetin, papaverin, catechin, Sorafenib and 5FU were analyzed for their bioactivities on 6 HCC cell lines and on dental pulp stem cells (DPSC) which differentiates into hepatocytes, and is used as a model for untransformed control cells. 3 of the chalcones (1, 9 and 11) were selected for further investigation due to their high cytotoxicity against liver cancer cells and compared to the other clinically established compounds. Chalcones did not show significant bioactivity (\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$\hbox {IC}_{50}>20\upmu \hbox {M}$$\end{document}IC50>20μM) on dental pulp stem cells. Cell cycle analysis revealed that these 3 chalcone-molecules induced SubG1/G1 arrest. Akt protein phosphorylation was inhibited by these molecules in PTEN deficient, drug resistant, mesenchymal like Mahlavu cells leading to the activation of p21 and the inhibition of NF\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$ \kappa $$\end{document}κB-p65 transcription factor. Hence the chalcones induced apoptotic cell death pathway through NF\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$ \kappa $$\end{document}κB-p65 inhibition. On the other hand, these molecules triggered p21 dependent activation of Rb protein and thereby inhibition of cell cycle and cell growth in liver cancer cells. Involvement of PI3K/Akt pathway hyperactivation was previously described in survival of liver cancer cells as carcinogenic event. Therefore, our results indicated that these chalcones can be considered as candidates for liver cancer therapeutics particularly when PI3K/Akt pathway involved in tumor development.

Cardamonin: A new player to fight cancer via multiple cancer signaling pathways

Nature's pharmacy has undoubtedly served humans as an affordable and safer health-care regime for a long times. Cardamonin, a chalconoid present in several plants has been known for a longtime to have beneficial properties towards human health. In this review, we aimed to highlight the recent advances achieved in discovering the pharmacological properties of cardamonin. Cardamonin is cardamom-derived chalcone, which plays a role in cancer treatment, immune system modulation, inflammation and pathogens killing. Through the modulation of cellular signaling pathways, cardamonin activates cell death signal to induce apoptosis in malignant cells that results in the inhibition of cancer development. Moreover, cardamonin arrests cell cycle by altering the expression of regulatory proteins during malignant cells division. Due to its relatively selective cytotoxic potential against host malignant cells, cardamonin is emerging as a promising novel experimental anticancer agent. The potential of cardamonin to target various signaling molecules, transcriptional factors, cytokines and enzymes, such as mTOR, NF-κB, Akt, STAT3, Wnt/β-catenin and COX-2 enhances the opportunity to explore it as a new multi-target therapeutic agent. The pharmacokinetic and biosafety profile of cardamonin favor it as a potentially safe biomolecule for pharmaceutical drug development.

Cardamonin induces G2/M arrest and apoptosis via activation of the JNK-FOXO3a pathway in breast cancer cells

Cardamonin (CD), a naturally occurring chalcone isolated from large black cardamom, was previously reported to suppress the proliferation of breast cancer cells. However, its precise molecular anti-tumor mechanisms have not been well elucidated. In this study, we found that CD markedly inhibited the proliferation of MDA-MB 231 and MCF-7 breast cancer cells through the induction of G2/M arrest and apoptosis. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) plays a pivotal role in the inhibition of CD-induced cell proliferation. Treatment with N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC), an ROS scavenger, blocked CD-induced G2/M arrest and apoptosis in this study. Quenching of ROS by overexpression of catalase also blocked CD-induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. We showed that CD enhanced the expression and nuclear translocation of Forkhead box O3 (FOXO3a) via upstream c-Jun N-terminal kinase, inducing the expression of FOXO3a and its target genes, including p21, p27, and Bim. This process led to the reduction of cyclin D1 and enhancement of activated caspase-3 expression. The addition of NAC markedly reversed these effects, knockdown of FOXO3a using small interfering RNA also decreased CD-induced G2/M arrest and apoptosis. In vivo, CD efficiently suppressed the growth of MDA-MB 231 breast cancer xenograft tumors. Taken together, our data provide a molecular mechanistic rationale for CD-induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in breast cancer cells.

Cardamonin inhibits breast cancer growth by repressing HIF-1α-dependent metabolic reprogramming

Background

Cardamonin, a chalcone isolated from Alpiniae katsumadai, has anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor activities. However, the molecular mechanism by which cardamonin inhibits breast cancer progression largely remains to be determined.

Methods

CCK-8 and Hoechst 33258 staining were used to detect cell growth and apoptosis, respectively. HIF-1α driven transcription was measured by luciferase reporter assay. Glucose uptake and lactate content were detected with 2-NBDG and L-Lactate Assay Kit. Cell metabolism assays were performed on Agilent’s Seahorse Bioscience XF96 Extracellular Flux Analyzer. Mitochondrial membrane potential was measured with JC-1 probe. DCFH-DA was used to measure ROS level. Protein expression was detected by western blotting assay. Immunohistochemistry was performed to measure the expression of HIF-1α, LDHA and CD31 in tumor tissues.

Results

Cardamonin inhibited growth of the triple negative breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231 in vitro and in vivo by suppressing HIF-1α mediated cell metabolism. Cardamonin inhibited the expression of HIF-1α at mRNA and protein levels by repressing the mTOR/p70S6K pathway, and subsequently enhanced mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation and induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation. We also found that cardamonin inhibited the Nrf2-dependent ROS scavenging system which further increased intracellular ROS levels. Eventually, accumulation of the intracellular ROS induced apoptosis in breast cancer cells. In addition, cardamonin treatment reduced glucose uptake as well as lactic acid production and efflux, suggesting its function in repressing the glycolysis process.

Conclusions

These results reveal novel function of cardamonin in modulating cancer cell metabolism and suppressing breast cancer progression, and suggest its potential for breast cancer treatment.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s13046-019-1351-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Cardamonin, a chalcone, inhibits human triple negative breast cancer cell invasiveness by downregulation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling cascades and reversal of epithelial-mesenchymal transition

Cardamonin (CD), an active chalconoid, has shown potent anticancer effects in preclinical studies; however, the effect and underlying mechanism of CD for the treatment of triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is unclear. This study aims to examine the cytotoxic effects of CD and investigate the underlying mechanism in human TNBC cells. The results show that CD exhibits cytotoxicity by inducing apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in TNBC cells via modulation of Bcl-2, Bax, cyt-C, cleaved caspase-3, and PARP. We find that CD significantly increases expression of the epithelial marker E-cadherin, while reciprocally decreasing expression of mesenchymal markers such as snail, slug, and vimentin in BT-549 cells. In parallel with epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) reversal, CD down regulates invasion and migration of BT-549 cells. CD markedly reduces stability and nuclear translocation of β-catenin, accompanied with downregulation of β-catenin target genes. Using the TopFlash luciferase reporter assay, we reveal CD as a specific inhibitor of the Wnt3a-induced signaling. These results suggest the involvement of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling in the CD-induced EMT reversion of BT-549 cells. Notably, CD restores the glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK3β) activity, required for β-catenin destruction via the proteasome-mediated system, by inhibiting the phosphorylation of GSK3β by Akt. These occurrences ultimately lead to the blockage of EMT and the invasion of TNBC cells. Further antitumor activity of CD was tested in 4T1 (TNBC cells) induced tumor and it was found that CD significantly inhibited the tumor volume at dose of 5 mg/kg-treated mice. © 2016 BioFactors, 43(2):152-169, 2017.

Preclinical pharmacokinetics and ADME characterization of a novel anticancer chalcone, cardamonin

Cardamonin (CRD), a chalconoid obtained from several medicinal plants of Zingiberaceae family, had shown promising potential in cancer prevention and therapy. For further development and better pharmacological elucidation, we performed a series of in vitro and in vivo studies to characterize its preclinical pharmacokinetics. The study samples were analyzed using validated liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and high performance liquid chromatography-ultra violet (HPLC-UV) methods. CRD is partially soluble (<10 μM) and possess high permeability (>0.2 × 10-4 cm/sec). It is moderately bound to plasma proteins (<50%). It shows partitioning in red blood cell (RBC) compartment with the partition coefficient between RBCs and plasma (K_RBC/P ) of 0.95 at 0 min to 1.39 at 60 min, indicating significant but slow RBC uptake. In mice, CRD is poorly absorbed after oral administration with 18% oral bioavailability. It possesses high clearance, short mean residence time, and high volume of distribution in mice. It exhibited multiple peak phenomena both after oral and intravenous administration and is excreted both as conjugated and unchanged CRD in bile. It is majorly excreted in faeces and negligibly in urine. The preclinical absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion data are expected to succour the future clinical investigations of CRD as a promising anticancer agent. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Chalcone derivatives cause accumulation of colon cancer cells in the G2/M phase and induce apoptosis

AIMS

Chalcones, naturally occurring open-chain polyphenols abundant in plants, have demonstrated antiproliferative activity in several cancer cell lines. In the present study, the potential anticancer activity of two synthetic analogues named Ch1 and Ch2 in colon cancer cell line was investigated.

MAIN METHODS

Antiproliferative activities of both synthetic analogues were assessed by Growth Inhibition Assay (MTT) and xCELLigence cell analysis. Apoptosis was assessed by annexin V/PI staining (early stage) or by DNA fragmentation (final stage). To study the cell death mechanism induced by tested substances, we assessed a series of assays including measurements of the caspase 3 activity, membrane mitochondrial potential (MMP) changes, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production by flow cytometry and expression of important apoptosis-related genes by realtime PCR.

KEY FINDINGS

We found concentration and time-dependent cytotoxicity, inhibition of proliferation of Caco-2 cells after Ch1 and Ch2 treatment in parallel with G2/M phase cell cycle arrest and increased cell proportion in subG0/G1 population with annexin V positivity. We demonstrated that both Ch1 and Ch2 induced caspase-dependent cell death associated with increased ROS production, suppressed Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL and enhanced Bax expression. Treatment of Ch1 also suppressed α-, α1- and β5-tubulins, on the other hand Ch2 only suppressed α-tubulin expression.

SIGNIFICANCE

Presented chalcones induce apoptosis by intrinsic pathways, and therefore may be an interesting strategy for cancer therapy.

Chalcone Scaffold in Anticancer Armamentarium: A Molecular Insight

Cancer is an inevitable matter of concern in the medicinal chemistry era. Chalcone is the well exploited scaffold in the anticancer domain. The molecular mechanism of chalcone at cellular level was explored in past decades. This mini review provides the most recent updates on anticancer potential of chalcones.

Cardamonin Suppresses TGF-β1-Induced Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition via Restoring Protein Phosphatase 2A Expression

Epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) is the first step in metastasis and implicated in the phenotype of cancer stem cells. Therefore, understanding and controlling EMT, are essential to the prevention and cure of metastasis. In the present study, we examined, by Western blot, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and confocal microscopy, the effects of cardamonin (CDN) on transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1)-induced EMT of A549 lung adenocarcinoma cell lines. TGF-β1 induced expression of N-cadherin and decreased expression of E-cadherin. CDN suppressed N-cadherin expression and restored E-cadherin expression. Further, TGF-β1 induced migration and invasion of A549 cancer cells, which was suppressed by CDN. TGF-β1 induced c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) activation during EMT, but CDN blocked it. Protein serine/threonine phosphatase 2A (PP2A) expression in A549 cancer cells was reduced by TGF-β1 but CDN restored it. The overall data suggested that CDN suppresses TGF-β1-induced EMT via PP2A restoration, making it a potential new drug candidate that controls metastasis.