Lung cancer is a prevalent and aggressive neoplasm worldwide, contributing to significant mortality rates. Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) constitutes the bulk of the steroid hormone in human plasma, has a robust antiproliferative effect, and induces cell death in various tumor cells. However, its role in lung cancer cells remains unexplored. This study aimed to investigate the influence of DHEA on the proliferation, viability, autophagy, and migration of several lung cancer cell lines, including A549, HCC827, and NCI-H2347. Cell proliferation was assessed through crystal violet staining; cell number and viability were evaluated using trypan blue staining; viability was confirmed by MTT reduction, a method that is also an indicator of metabolic activity; migration was assessed via a wound healing assay. Autophagy was evaluated using a specific kit, while cell death was determined by annexin-V-FITC/propidium iodide staining and caspase-3/7 activity assay. The results indicate that DHEA significantly reduced proliferation, cell number, metabolic activity, and migration in all examined lung tumor cells. These effects correlate with an increased autophagy induced by DHEA. No signs of apoptosis or necrosis were observed across the range of DHEA concentrations used. Although these findings are preliminary, they suggest that DHEA could hold promise as an alternative treatment option for various subtypes of lung cancer.

El cáncer es una enfermedad que se produce cuando algunas células del cuerpo comienzan a dividirse sin control, hasta formar masas llamadas tumores. Actualmente se sabe que el cáncer ha existido en la tierra desde antes de que aparecieran los humanos y puede ser ocasionado por diferentes factores, ya sean genéticos, ambientales o ambos. Dependiendo del lugar donde el tumor se localice, hay diferentes tipos de cáncer. Saber más sobre esta enfermedad nos ayudará a cuidarnos para prevenirla o detectarla a tiempo y obtener el tratamiento adecuado. Únete a nosotros en esta fascinante y reveladora aventura sobre el cáncer, explorando su historia y desmintiendo algunos de los mitos más comunes acerca de esta enfermedad.