Little information is reported on the antitumor effects of isoquinoline alkaloids, particularly protopine, a major component of Fumaria agraria, on lung cancer. The purpose of our study is to determine the cytotoxic effect of protopine from an extraction by fractionation of the aerial part of Fumaria agraria on two lung cancer cell lines, NCI-H23 and NCI-H460. The basic fraction containing protopine (60.7%) has cytotoxicity to the two lung cancer cell lines studied here. The cell line NCI-H460 is more sensitive after 72 h of treatment by protopine with an IC50 of 08.5 ± 0.09 μMthan the cell line NCI-H23 (IC50 = 14.8 ± 0.03 μM).
