Phenanthroline impairs βAPP processing and expression, increases p53 protein levels and induces cell cycle arrest in human neuroblastoma cells

•Phenanthroline impairs α-secretase activity and sAPPα production to different degrees.•Phenanthroline impairs βAPP expression at a transcriptional level.•Phenanthroline strongly increases p53 protein levels.•Phenanthroline represses the expression of the p53-degrading calpain-2 protease.•Phenanthroline dose-dependently triggers cell cycle arrest in human neuroblastoma cells.