castasterone

Castasterone is a naturally occurring plant steroid hormone belonging to the brassinosteroid class. It serves as a metabolic precursor to epibrassinolide and is considered the active brassinosteroid in many plant species. In the context of human health research, castasterone has demonstrated significant pharmacological activity against small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) cells, including those with multi-drug resistance. It exhibits pro-apoptotic effects and has been shown to reverse resistance to conventional chemotherapeutic agents like etoposide and doxorubicin. Its mechanism of action appears to involve the modulation of the Wnt signaling pathway, specifically through the reduction of the transcriptional activator beta-catenin.

Other names

CAS(22R,23R,24S)-2α,3α,22,23-tetrahydroxy-24-methyl-5α-cholestan-6-one