Lung Cancer

Plumbagin (5-hydroxy-2-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone) is a toxin, named after the plant genus Plumbago from which it was first isolated in 1968 (1). Since its discovery there have been a wide variety of publications describing its effects on fertility, hyperlipedaemia (high cholesterol) and its use as an anti-bacterial. More recently, there have been multiple efforts to synthesise derivatives and analogues of plumbagin in order to increase its potential as an anti-cancer agent.

SOX2 is a transcription factor that is expressed by self-renewing and multipotent stem cells of the embryonic neuroepithelium. Sox-2 was found to be expressed by dividing neural progenitor cells. Constitutive expression of SOX2 has also been shown to inhibit neuronal differentiation and results in the maintenance of progenitor characteristics.

We at Novus Biologicals are one of the leading antibody suppliers for cancer research. In a recent Notch antibody study, the Notch ligand Jagged 2 was found to promote the growth of metastatic lung cancer cells by inhibiting miR-200, which blocks epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) – an early stage in metastasis which, if blocked, can prevent secondary tumour growth.