The incidence and mortality rate of lung cancer is the highest cancer in the globally, whether in Europe, America or Asia. Lung cancer is mainly divided into two categories about small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), NSCLC is the most common, accounting for about 80% to 85%. Cisplatin and Docetaxel are currently the most commonly used chemotherapy drugs. Even though they are effective, they have serious side effects. Caffeic acid phenylethyl ester (CAPE) is the main component in poplar type propolis. We therefore explored if combined treatment of CAPE with Cisplatin or Docetaxel exhibits greater suprressive effects on survival of NSCLC cells. We observed that the combination of CAPE with Cisplatin or Docetaxel more effectively inhibited the cell proliferation and survival of H1299 and A549 cells than Cisplatin or Docetaxel alone and also more significantly suppressed expression of proteins involved in apoptosis, survival and cell cycle procession protein expression. Our observation suggested that combining CAPE with Cisplatin or Docetaxel can be a more effective treatment for NSCLC and may reduce undesired side effects.
