Synthesis of Flavokawain B and its Anti-proliferative Activity Against Gefitinib-resistant Non-small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC)

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most common type of lung cancer and that accounts for 85 % of lung cancer patients. Although several EGFR-targeted drugs have been developed in the treatment of NSCLC, the clinical efficacy of EGFR-targeted drugs in NSCLC is limited by the occurrence of drug resistance. In this regard, Hsp90 represents great promise as a therapeutic target of cancer due to its potential to simultaneously disable multiple signaling pathways. In this study, we discovered that a natural product, flavokawain B disrupted Hsp90 chaperoning function and impaired the growth of gefitinib-resistant non-small cell lung cancer (H1975). The result suggested that flavokawain B could serve as a potential lead compound to overcome the drug resistance in cancer chemotherapy