Noscapine is an opioid alkaloid with antitussive and antimitotic properties. It binds to tubulin and arrests mammalian cells in mitosis at a concentration of 20 μM. Noscapine induces apoptosis (IC50 = 25 and 10 μM in HeLa cells and thymocytes, respectively) and demonstrates antitumor activity both in vitro (IC50 = 42.3 and 39.1 μM in MCF-7 and Renal 1983 cell lines, respectively) and in mice.
