Page 328 - 2025中醫藥與天然藥物聯合學術研討會-中醫藥與天然藥物的挑戰Ｘ機遇與未來大會手冊

TC-13

Longan flower water extract inhibits lung adenocarcinoma cells via

autophagy and lysosome-mediated EGFR degradation

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2
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Tzu-Huan Hung, Wei-Lun Qiu, Zhi-Hu Lin, Ai-Jung Tseng, Tung-Yi Lin*
2
,2

1 Crop Genetic Resources and Biotechnology Division, Taiwan Agricultural Research
Institute, Taichung 413008, Taiwan.
2 Institute of Traditional Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University. Taipei
112304, Taiwan.
* E-mail: biotungyi@gmail.com

Abstract
Lung adenocarcinoma, the most common subtype of non-small cell lung cancer, remains
associated with poor prognosis. Natural plant-derived compounds represent promising sources
for anticancer drug discovery. In this study, we investigated the inhibitory effects and
underlying mechanisms of longan flower water extract (LFWE) in EGFR-mutant H1975 lung
adenocarcinoma cells. LFWE significantly reduced the viability of H1975 lung cancer cells and
induced morphological changes. Mechanistically, LFWE activated autophagy, as indicated by
increased LC3-II/LC3-I ratios and decreased P62 levels, and promoted lysosome-mediated
degradation of mutant EGFR, leading to suppression of downstream mTOR and AKT signaling.
This dual mechanism highlights LFWE’s potential to inhibit oncogenic signaling and growth
in EGFR-TKI–resistant lung adenocarcinoma. However, LFWE also exhibited some inhibitory
activity in non-malignant lung cells, emphasizing the need for further studies to optimize safety
and evaluate translational applicability.

Keywords: Longan flower water extract; Lung adenocarcinoma; Autophagy; EGFR