Induction of apoptosis by a novel indirubin-5-nitro-3′-monoxime, a CDK inhibitor, in human lung cancer cells

A novel indirubin analog, indirubin-5-nitro-3′-monoxime, inhibited cell proliferation against various human cancer cells. Additional studies indicate that the mechanism of action of this analog against human lung cancer cells might be to arrest cell cycle progression at the G2/M phase and induce apoptosis via p53- and mitochondria-dependent pathways. These data suggest that indirubin-5-nitro-3′-monoxime might be a novel candidate for development of anticancer agents.