Platycodon D promotes immunogenic cell death in lung cancer cells by targeting NFS1 to induce PANoptosis

  • Phytomedicine. 2026 Jul:156:158249. doi: 10.1016/j.phymed.2026.158249.
Mingjie Wu  1 ,  Jia Wang  2 ,  Yunjie Wu  2 ,  Guangjian Chen  2 ,  Wuyu Jiang  2 ,  Zhihang Zhang  2 ,  Zimo Chen  2 ,  Luoxi Wang  2 ,  Chengyang Zhang  2 ,  Zilong Shen  1 ,  Yuewen Qi  3 ,  Mianli Bian  4 ,  Chunxiang Zhou  5 ,  Xu Qi  6 ,  Yu Li  7
Affiliations
  • 1. School of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China.
  • 2. School of Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China.
  • 3. University of Connecticut, Storrs 06268, USA.
  • 4. School of Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
  • 5. School of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
  • 6. Jiangsu Provincial People's Hospital, Nanjing 210029, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
  • 7. School of Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
PMID: 42068882 DOI: 10.1016/j.phymed.2026.158249
Abstract

Background: Lung Cancer remains one of the most lethal malignancies worldwide, with therapeutic resistance and low response rates representing major clinical challenges. The biosynthetic enzyme NFS1 has been implicated in tumour progression across various Cancer types. PANoptosis is a recently identified type of cell death that can increase antitumour immunity, resulting in effective tumour suppression. Platycodin D (PD), a triterpenoid saponin isolated from the traditional Chinese medicine Platycodon grandiflorus, has demonstrated Anticancer effects through mechanisms such as Apoptosis induction and Autophagy regulation.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the mechanism by which PD targets NFS1 to induce PANoptosis and increase antitumour immunity in lung Cancer.

Methods: The antiproliferative effect of PD was assessed using a CCK-8 assay. Changes in the expression of key PANoptosis-related proteins were analysed by Western blotting, and YP1/PI et al. were used to visualize different modes of cell death. CETSAs and DARTSs were performed to validate the direct interaction between PD and NFS1. ELISA and flow cytometry were used to measure the release of ICD-related molecules and DCs maturation, respectively. Mouse models were established to evaluate the in vivo antitumour efficacy and immunomodulatory effects of PD, both alone and in combination with NFS1 siRNA.

Results: PD inhibited lung Cancer cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner. Mechanistically, PD directly bound to NFS1, downregulated its expression, and induced significant accumulation of ROS, leading to the activation of PANoptosis. Furthermore, PD treatment triggered the release of ATP and HMGB1, and promoted DCs maturation. In vivo studies confirmed that PD significantly suppressed tumour growth and acted synergistically with NFS1 knockdown to promote antitumour immunity.

Conclusion: Our findings demonstrate that PD targets NFS1 to trigger ROS-dependent PANoptosis and activate antitumour immune responses, providing a novel immunotherapy sensitization strategy for lung Cancer patients.

Keywords
Immunogenic cell death; NFS1; PANoptosis; Platycodin D.
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