Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a fatal cancer with poor prognosis and less than 10% of CCA patients can be
offered surgical cure. Conventional chemotherapy results in unfavorable outcomes. At present, plant-derived
compounds are gaining interest as potential cancer therapeutics, particularly for treatment-refractory cancers.
In this study, antitumor activity of tiliacorinine, the major alkaloid isolated from a tropical plant, on CCA was
first demonstrated. Antiproliferative effects of tiliacorinine on human CCA cell lines were investigated using SRB
assays. Acridine orange/ethidium bromide staining, flow cytometric analysis and DNA laddering assays were
used for apoptotic determination.