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Sandalwood Compound Cuts Lung Spread of Colon Cancer Cells in Mice

A compound from sandalwood oil reduced lung metastasis from colon cancer cells in mice by triggering a cell-death pathway driven by oxidative stress.

By Dr. Josh Axe · October 31, 2026 · 1 source · Watch

At a glance

What they found: Normal colon fibroblast cells and mast cells kept more than 70% viability at the same doses.
Who was studied: 30 mice injected with colon cancer cells, treated orally for 14 days at three doses.
What it doesn't show: Whether it works the same way in people.

A compound extracted from sandalwood oil reduced lung metastasis from colorectal cancer cells in mice, according to a study published October 21, 2026 in Antioxidants.

25mg/kg:~55% of nodules

50mg/kg:~30% of nodules

Researchers at Wonkwang University tested santalol, a compound making up 70 to 90% of sandalwood oil, against colon and colorectal cancer cells in lab dishes and against lung metastasis in mice. In cell cultures, santalol reduced viability and colony-forming ability of mouse CT26 and human HCT116 colorectal cancer cells, with 50% inhibitory concentrations of 16.96 and 18.06 micromoles. Normal colon fibroblast cells and mast cells kept more than 70% viability at the same doses.

In the mouse experiment, 30 mice were injected with CT26 cancer cells through a vein, then split into five groups of six: untreated controls, three oral santalol doses (12.5, 25 or 50 mg/kg daily for 14 days), and a group given the chemotherapy drug 5-fluorouracil (10 mg/kg). The 25 mg/kg dose cut lung nodules to about 55% of the control count, and 50 mg/kg cut them to about 30% of control. The 5-FU group showed roughly an additional 10% reduction in surface nodules compared with the 50 mg/kg santalol group. Body weight and blood markers of liver and kidney function did not change over 14 days.

The authors report that santalol lowered the cells' total antioxidant capacity while raising reactive oxygen species, unstable molecules that damage proteins, fats and DNA when they build up. That stress caused mitochondria, the cell's energy-producing structures, to leak a protein called cytochrome c, triggering caspases, enzymes that dismantle the cell from inside. The authors describe this as a programmed cell-death pathway activated by the compound.

Lung Tumor Nodules in Mice: Santalol Doses vs Control

Antioxidants, 2026, Han et al.

This is mouse and lab-dish evidence for a compound given orally at specific milligram-per-kilogram doses, not a human trial; cell death in a dish or tumor shrinkage in mice does not establish what happens in a person. Human dosing and longer-term safety are the next steps.

Dr. Axe’s Take

My view: That selectivity — killing cancer cells while sparing healthy ones at the same dose — is the most promising part of this study. Sandalwood has a long traditional-medicine history for calming inflammation and supporting digestion, and this research gives a plausible reason why: it appears to push cancer cells into overwhelming oxidative stress they cannot survive. Still, this is mice and lab dishes, not people with colorectal cancer, and the milligram-per-kilogram doses tested have no established human equivalent. Keep working with your oncology team on any cancer treatment plan, and in the meantime favor antioxidant-rich foods like berries, leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables while this research matures.

— Dr. Axe

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Study summary

Who: Mouse colon cancer cells (CT26) and human colorectal cancer cells (HCT116) in lab dishes; 30 mice injected with CT26 cells to model lung metastasis.
Design: Lab cell-culture experiments plus a randomized mouse study, 5 groups of 6 mice each, treated for 14 days.
Dose: Oral santalol at 12.5, 25 or 50 mg/kg daily for 14 days; comparison group given 5-fluorouracil 10 mg/kg intraperitoneally every 3 days.
Primary result: Lung tumor nodules fell to about 55% of control levels at 25 mg/kg and about 30% of control levels at 50 mg/kg santalol.
Secondary: Cell IC50 was 16.96 micromoles (mouse cells) and 18.06 micromoles (human cells); normal cells kept over 70% viability at the same doses; no significant body-weight or liver/kidney marker changes over 14 days.
Funding / conflicts: Funder listed in the journal record: Wonkwang University. Competing interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
Date: Oct 21, 2026