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Quercetin is found in citrus fruits, onions and buckwheat and is known for its anti-inflammatory properties. Now researchers at Universitätsklinikum Erlangen at Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) have investigated how the plant compound could help treat lung cancer. In the lab, experiments showed that quercetin slows the division of lung cancer cells and almost completely stops their migration. The results have appeared in the journal Cell Death Discovery.

Lung cancer is the most common form of cancer worldwide—no other cancer causes more deaths. Although there are various treatment options available, they do not work for all patients. Researchers in the Department of Molecular Pneumology at Universitätsklinikum Erlangen have now shown that quercetin acts on lung cancer cells at several sites.

"Many drugs against lung cancer target a single molecule," explains Dr. Susetta Finotto. "Quercetin, by contrast, attacked at several points simultaneously in our experiments." For the study, the researchers examined the effect of quercetin on lung cancer cells in the lab, on mouse lung sections and in living mice.

Quercetin led to the tumor cells dividing more slowly in the experiments. In one of the two types of lung cancer cells studied, the plant compound also reduced oxidative stress. This stress is caused by reactive oxygen compounds in cells and can lead to the development of cancer.

Quercetin had a particularly pronounced effect on the migration of cancer cells—a key prerequisite for them to form metastases.

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