Abstract:Objective To investigate whether autophagy is involved in the anticancer mechanisms of hydroxycamptothecin (HCPT) in human lung cancer A549 cells in vitro. Methods Human non-small cell lung cancer cell line A549 was cultured. In our study, cell viability was assessed by MTT assay, Cyto-ID staining was used for autophagy detection which was observed by laser scanning confocal microscope (LSCM), the expression of LC3II/I and p-mTOR were measured by Western blot. Results HCPT (50, 200 and 400 μmol) suppressed the viability of A549 cells in a concentration-dependent manner. Moreover, HCPT increased autophagy level in the A549 cells. The autophagy inhibitor 3-MA caused a statistically significant increase in growth inhibition of the HCPTtreated A549 cells. Conclusions HCPT induces autophagy in lung cancer A549 cells in vitro. HCPT (50, 200 and400 μmol) suppresses the viability of A549 cells in a concentration-dependent manner and its induction of cell autophagy is related to the dosage. Autophagy inhibition combined with HCPT may be a better way for the treatment of lung cancer.