Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) activates both cell death and cell survival pathways,thereby rendering most cancer cells resistant to its cytotoxicity.We found that pretreatment with digitoflavone,a plant flavonoid,greatly sensitized TNFα-induced apoptotic cell death in several human pancreatic cancer cells.In search of the molecular basis of the sensitization effect of digitoflavone,digitoflavone was found to inhibit TNFα-induced activation of nuclear transcription factor-kappa B (NF-κB) which is the main survival factor in TNFα signaling.