06/05/2026
According to research published in Archives of Medical Science, berberine showed anti-cancer effects across multiple cancer cell types, including breast cancer, colon cancer, cervical cancer, oral cancer, and nasopharyngeal cancer cells. Researchers found that berberine triggered apoptosis — a programmed “cell suicide” process where damaged or abnormal cells break themselves down instead of continuing to survive and multiply. Colon cancer cells were especially sensitive, responding to much lower concentrations of berberine compared to several of the other cancer cell lines tested.
The researchers also found that berberine stopped cancer cells during the G2/M phase of the cell cycle — a critical stage cells must pass through before dividing into new cells. At the molecular level, berberine increased BAX, a protein linked to cell death, while lowering BCL-2, a protein cancer cells often use to avoid dying. The effects became stronger over time, suggesting berberine was directly altering survival pathways inside the cancer cells rather than just temporarily slowing them down.
