To test this hypothesis and elucidate the mechanism underlying the effect of β-elemene on cisplatin cytotoxicity, we investigated whether β-elemene promotes apoptotic cell death in cisplatin-treated resistant ovarian cancer cells by downregulating the expression of ERCC-1 and X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP) and inactivating c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK). Here, ERCC1 is linked to ovarian carcinoma.