Abstract: Objective To observe autophagy induced by starvation in non-small cell lung cancer A459 and 95D cells. Methods
A549 and 95D cells in logarithmic growth in 1640 medium were cultured in Earle’s balanced salt solution (EBSS) for 0, 1, 2, 3, 4
or 5 h. Autophagosome formation in the cell culture was observed by MDC fluorescent staining, and the expression of
microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 (LC3) and Beclin1 in the cells were detected using Western blotting. Results
Compared with the control cells, the cells with prolonged starvation showed increased MDC-positive cells and
autophagosome formation. The expression of Beclin-1 and the LC3-II/LC3-I ratio also increased as the starvation prolonged,
reaching the peak levels at 3 h and 4 h, respectively. Conclusion Autophagy can be induced by starvation in A549 and 95D
cells in correlation with the expression of autophagy-related proteins LC3 and Beclin-1. These cell models of nutritional
deficiency-induced autophagy may allow for a better understanding of the role of autophagy in the development of non-small
cell lung cancer.