['Aerosolized cyclosporine A (CsA) increases the local concentration of CsA in lung tissue and has proven to be an effective therapy for refractory rejection in lung transplant patients. However, the safety of high concentrations of CsA on tumour progression remains controversial.', 'Human lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells were cultured with or without 1-3 μg/ml of CsA. The percentage of apoptotic cells was evaluated by Annexin V staining. The expressions of caspase-3, -9, -8 and cytochrome c were determined by Western blotting.', 'CsA therapy suppressed the growth of human lung cancer cells and increased the percentage of apoptotic cells compared with control cells. Western blot analysis revealed that CsA increased the levels of cytosolic cytochrome c and cleaved caspase-3 and -9, but not of cleaved caspase-8 in the lung cancer cells, suggesting that CsA-induced apoptosis is associated with the activation of caspase-3 and -9.'] Does cyclosporine A induce apoptosis of human lung adenocarcinoma cells via caspase-dependent pathway?