Flow-cytometric analysis of reactive oxygen species in cancer cells under treatment with brassinosteroids

•Brassinosteroids induced generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in A549 cells.•The maximal effect was observed for (22S,23S)-28-homocastasterone.•It exhibited a 6-fold increase of ROS generation at 30 μM concentration.

To explore the underlying mechanism of cancer cell growth inhibition by brassinosteroids (BS), reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation under treatment with 28-homocastasterone and its synthetic derivatives (22S,23S)-28-homocastasterone was measured in A549 human lung adenocarcinoma cells. BS induced ROS generation in A549 cells and their growth in a time and dose-dependent manner. The maximal effect was observed for (22S,23S)-28-homocastasterone which at 30 μM concentration showed a 6-fold increase of ROS generation in comparison with the control.