**2.7 Cucurbitacin D (7′)**

CuD was evaluated in the chondrosarcoma SW 1353 cancer cell line. Its IC50 values against SW 1353 cells after 6, 12, and 24 h of treatment were 16.48, 13.03, and 13.14 μM, respectively [22].

 The effects of CuD purified from *E. elaterium* fruit on the expression of the BAX, caspase-3, LC3, VEGF, and c-MYC genes in the AGS cell line were investigated. The sub-G1 accumulation of AGS cells treated with CuD was increased compared to that of untreated cells. Moreover, the treatment of AGS cells with CuD induced cell death. Additionally, the effects of cucurbitacin D on the mRNA expression levels of the LC3, VEGF, BAX, caspase-3, and c-MYC genes were evaluated using qRT-PCR. LC3 mRNA levels were increased approximately 23-fold after treatment with CuD at a concentration of 0.3 μg/mL for 24 h. However, the BAX, caspase-3, and c-MYC mRNA levels were not considerably changed after treatment. Regarding the effects of CuD and CuE on LC3 mRNA expression, CuD's effect was significantly greater than that of CuE [23].
