1. Interventional therapy combining Seed of Job's-tears with lipiodol for hepatoma-bearing rats
OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of the interventional therapy of hepatoma-bearing rat by Seed of Job's-tears (SJT) injection combining with lipiodol. METHODS: To evaluate the effect of SJT as a medicament which can be used in interventional therapy, we repeated the hepatoma-bearing rats, and treated them by interventional therapy with SJT referring to the method which Lindel set up, comparing its effect to which of chemical medicines and lipiodol. RESULTS: SJT or lipiodol alone had an inhibiting effect to liver cancer. The tumor growth rates were 13.89%, 14.05%, and the tumor inhibiting rates reached 38.10%, 37.49%. The curative effect of the SJT/lipiodol group was the best, and its growth rate and inhibiting rate were 3.36% and 85.03%, respectively better than the SJT group and lipiodol group (P<0.01). There was no statistically significant difference between the effect of the SJT/lipiodol group and the mitomycin/lipiodol group. The survival period of SJT/lipiodol group was longer than the rest groups (P<0.01 or P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The interventional therapy by SJT/lipiodol has obvious inhibitory effect on the growth of hepatoma-bearing rats, which is similar to that of MMC/lipiodol. This inhibiting effect is better than that of the SJT or lipiodol group. SJT/lipiodol can prolong the survival period of hepatoma-bearing rats obviously, and this effect is better than that of single lipiodol, SJT or MMC/lipiodol.
––Huang T, Wu W, Li Y, Zhang J, Huang L. Zhonghua Gan Zang Bing Za Zhi. 2002 Dec;10(6):452-4.
2. Anticancer effect
Intraperitoneal injection of ethanol extract of yi yi ren had inhibitory effect on Ehrlich carcinoma of mice, and could lengthen the survival time of animals. Acetone extract of yi yi ren had obvious inhibitory effect on mice cervical cancer-14 (U-14) and HCA solid tumor.
3. Clinical study
Yi Yi Ren Syrup (100ml was equal to 50g crude drug), oral administration, 20~40ml, 3 times daily. It was used to treat lung cancer , intestinal cancer, stomach cancer, cervical cancer, etc.. yi yi ren ombined with teng liu, he zi an ling jiao was used to treat alimentary tract cancers. 168 cases of patients were treated, 1 dose every day, taken in three times. After treatment, the appetite and general condition were improved. And this formula had certain therapeutic effects on 30 cases out of 36 cases who took over three months’ treatment.
1. Effect of trichosanthin an anti-leukemia protein on normal mouse spleen cells.
Trichosanthin, from Trichosanthes kirilowii is a member of the Cucurbitaceae family. It has been reported to have anti-cancer activity. The effects of Trichosanthin peptides (15 amino acids in length) on ConA stimulated incorporation of 3[H] thymidine into cultured, primary mouse spleen cells and L1210 cells were determined. Both spleen cells and L1210 cells were plated at 7.5 x 10(5) cells/ml in a microtiter plate. Different concentrations of the peptide (0.5, 5, 25, and 50 micrograms/ml) and ConA (1 microgram/ml) were added with serum free media, and half of the samples were labeled with 1 microCi/well of 3[H] thymidine. The additional half of the cell samples were used to determine cell number and % viability. After 24 hours incubation, the N-terminal peptides (amino acid residues #1-15 and 16-30) caused increases in ConA stimulated incorporation of 3[H] thymidine into normal spleen cells at low concentrations of the peptides (5 micrograms/ml). The viability of spleen cells and L1210 cells were not affected by these peptides at 5 micrograms/ml. These N-terminal peptides (#1-15 and 16-30) were tested for in vivo anti-tumor activity. There was a delay of tumor formation in the treated vs control group. The results suggest that N-terminal sequences of trichosanthin have anti-tumor activity.
––Takemoto DJ. Anticancer Res. 1998 Jan-Feb;18(1A):357-61.
2 .Anti-tumor effect
In vitro experiments showed that gua lou decoction and extracts of gua lou peel and kernel had killing effect on ascites cancer cells in mice. Animal tests showed that gua lou had certain inhibitory effect on sarcoma, but had no obvious effects on ascites cancer. There’re also reports showing that preparations of gua lou had no effects on transplanted cervical cancer, lymphosarcoma-1 and S180.
1. Cortex mori extract induces cancer cell apoptosis through inhibition of microtubule assembly.
The water extract from the root bark of Cortex Mori (CM, Morus alba L.: Sangbaikpi), a mulberry tree, has been known in Chinese traditional medicine to have antiphlogistic, diuretic, and expectorant properties. In this study, the cytotoxicity of CM against tumor cells and its mechanism was examined. CM exhibited cytotoxic activity on K-562, B380 human leukemia cells and B16 mouse melanoma cells at concentrations of > 1 mg/ml. A DNA fragmentation, PARP cleavage, and nuclear condensation assay showed that those cells exposed to CM underwent apoptosis. The water extract of Scutellarie Radix (SR) was used as a negative control and showed no cytotoxicity in those cells. The flow cytometric profiles of the CM-treated cells were also indicative of apoptosis. However, they did not appear to exert the G1 arrest, which is observed in other tubulin inhibitor agents such as vincristine, taxol. The protein-binding test using Biacore and a microtubule assembly-disassembly assay provided evidence showing that CM bound to the tubulins resulting in a marked inhibition of the assembly, but not the disassembly of microtubules. The possible nonspecific effect of the CM extract could be excluded due to the results using SR, which did not affect the assembly process. Overall, the water extract of CM induces apoptosis of tumor cells by inhibiting microtubule assembly.
––Nam SY, Yi HK, Lee JC, Kim JC, Song CH, Park JW, Lee DY, Kim JS, Hwang PH. Arch Pharm Res. 2002 Apr;25(2):191-6.
2. Evaluation of natural products on inhibition of inducible cyclooxygenase (COX-2) and nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in cultured mouse macrophage cells.
The inhibitors of prostaglandin biosynthesis and nitric oxide production have been considered as potential anti-inflammatory and cancer chemopreventive agents. In this study, we evaluated approximately 170 methanol extracts of natural products including Korean herbal medicines for the inhibition of prostaglandin E(2) production (for COX-2 inhibitors) and nitric oxide formation (for iNOS inhibitors) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced mouse macrophages RAW264.7 cells. As a result, several extracts such as Aristolochia debilis, Cinnamomum cassia, Cinnamomum loureirii, Curcuma zedoaria, Eugenia caryophyllata, Pterocarpus santalius, Rehmania glutinosa and Tribulus terrestris showed potent inhibition of COX-2 activity (>80% inhibition at the test concentration of 10 micro g/ml). In addition, the extracts of A. debilis, Caesalpinia sappan, Curcuma longa, C. zedoaria, Daphne genkwa and Morus alba were also considered as potential inhibitors of iNOS activity (>70% inhibition at the test concentration of 10 micro g/ml). These active extracts mediating COX-2 and iNOS inhibitory activities are warranted for further elucidation of active principles for development of new cancer chemopreventive and/or anti-inflammatory agents.
––Hong CH, Hur SK, Oh OJ, Kim SS, Nam KA, Lee SK. J Ethnopharmacol. 2002 Nov;83(1-2):153-9.
1. Clinical study
hai zao, zhe bei mu, ge fen, 3 each; xiang fu, bai jie zi, 2 each; xuan shen, xia ku cao, mu li, 4 each; jie geng, gan cao, 1 each; hong niang zi 30 piece, sticky rice 8. All drugs were made into power according to above proportion and made into pills. 4.5g, 2 times daily, after meals. 112 cases of thyroid benign tumors were treated, and 33 were cured, 35 markedly improved, 33 improved, and 11 ineffective.
1. Cytotoxic alkaloids from Houttuynia cordata.
Six bioactive alkaloids, aristolactam B(1), piperolactam A(2), aristolactam A(3), norcepharadione B(4), cepharadione B(5) and splendidine(6) were isolated by bioactivity-guided fractionation of a methanolic extract of the aerial part of Houttuynia cordata. Several of them exhibited significant cytotoxicity against five human tumor cell lines (A-549, SK-OV-3, SK-MEL-2, XF-498 and HCT-15) in vitro.
––Kim SK, Ryu SY, No J, Choi SU, Kim YS. Arch Pharm Res. 2001 Dec;24(6):518-21.
2. Antileukemic activity of Bidens pilosa L. var. minor (Blume) Sherff and Houttuynia cordata Thunb.
To evaluate the anti-leukemic activity of Bidens pilosa L. var. minor (Blume) Sherff and Houttuynia cordata Thunb., cytotoxicity tests with an XTT-based colorimetric assay were used. Five leukemic cell lines, namely L1210, U937, K562, Raji and P3HR1, were cultured with hot water extracts of B. pilosa var. minor or H. cordata. Hot water extracts of B. pilosa var. minor inhibited these five leukemic cells with IC50s between 145 microg/ml and 586 microg/ml. The effect was greatest on four cell lines, namely L1210, P3MR1, Raji and K562, with IC50s below 200 microg/ml and a selective index of more than 5. Hot water extract of H. cordata inhibited these five leukemic cells with IC50s between 478 microg/ml and 662 microg/ml. The selective index was between 1.5 and 2.1. B. pilosa var. minor was more effective than H. cordata in inhibiting most of the leukemic cells in our study. We suggest that B. pilosa L. var. minor (Blume) Sherff may prove to be a useful medicinal plant for treating leukemia.
––Chang JS, Chiang LC, Chen CC, Liu LT, Wang KC, Lin CC. Am J Chin Med. 2001;29(2):303-12.
1. Effects of prune consumption on the ratio of 2-hydroxyestrone to 16alpha-hydroxyestrone.
BACKGROUND: A higher urinary ratio of the biologically inactive estrogen metabolite, 2-hydroxyestrone (2OHE1), to the biologically active metabolite, 16alpha-hydroxyestrone (16alphaOHE1), may be associated with a lower risk of breast cancer. High fiber intake is also associated with decreased breast cancer risk. OBJECTIVE: We investigated the effects of prunes, which are naturally rich in both soluble and insoluble fiber, on the concentrations of 2OHE1 and 16alphaOHE1 and on the ratio of 2OHE1 to 16alphaOHE1. DESIGN: Nineteen healthy premenopausal women consumed their habitual diets for 3 menstrual cycles and then consumed 100 g prunes/d for the next 3 cycles. Concentrations of urinary 2OHE1 and 16alphaOHE1 were determined during the follicular and luteal phases. RESULTS: Prune supplementation increased total and soluble fiber intakes by 4 and 2 g/d, respectively (P < 0.001). Mean (+/- SEM) luteal 2OHE1 excretion decreased from 3.92 +/- 0.79 to 2.20 +/- 0.40 nmol/mmol creatinine during the third cycle (P = 0.017). Luteal 16alphaOHE1 excretion decreased from 1.38 +/- 0.24 to 0.87 +/- 0.10 and 0.87 +/- 0.15 nmol/mmol creatinine during the first and third cycles, respectively (P = 0.018 for both values). Follicular 16alphaOHE1 excretion decreased significantly only during the first cycle (from 0.82 +/- 0.12 to 0.45 +/- 0.09 nmol/mmol creatinine; P = 0.005). The 2OHE1-16alphaOHE1 ratio did not change significantly after prune supplementation. CONCLUSIONS: Prune supplementation significantly decreased the excretion of 16alphaOHE1 during the follicular phase of the first menstrual cycle and during the luteal phases of both the first and third menstrual cycles. The 2OHE1-16alphaOHE1 ratio did not change significantly. The potential significance of the decrease in 16alphaOHE1 excretion, without a change in the 2OHE1-16alphaOHE1 ratio, on the prevention of estrogen-dependent cancers remains to be determined.
––Kasim-Karakas SE, Almario RU, Gregory L, Todd H, Wong R, Lasley BL. Am J Clin Nutr. 2002 Dec;76(6):1422-7.
2. Anti-tumor effect
Crude preparations of hot water extract of xing ren had an inhibitory rate of 50~70% on human cervical cancer culture JTC-26. And its chemical constituents such as hydrocyanic acid ad amygdalin had slight anticancer effects. But there’re also reports showing that xing ren had no anti-tumor effect.
3. Clinical Studies
ku xing ren, bi ma ren and other TCM herbs were made into Pi Ai Gao (skin cancer plaster) along with 5-Fu. 14 cases of skin cancer were treated with plaster alone, and 10 were cured, 2 markedly effective, 1 improved, 1 ineffective.Amygdalin and laetrile were administrated orally or intravenously to treat 34 cases of lung cancer and esophagus cancer in the late stage. The symptoms of most patients were relieved, and it was most obvious in relieving pain and controlling pleural effusion due to cancer.
1. Anticancer effect
ting li zi could exert its significant anticancer at a very low dosage. In vivo experiments showed that ting ling zi had inhibitory effect on ascites cancer.
1. Antitumor effect
PTA(exogenous agglutinin) isolated from the fresh ban xia bulbs could agglutinate human liver tumor cell, Ehrlich carcinoma and ascitic type of liver cell. Experiments showed that the polysaccharide ingredients in ban xia PMN also had anti-tumor effects.
2. 32 cases of postoperative osteogenic sarcoma treated by chemotherapy combined with Chinese medicinal herbs
32 cases of postoperative osteogenic sarcoma treated by chemotherapy combined with Chinese medicinal herbs were compared with 26 similar cases as control group. The drugs used in chemotherapy consisted of two regimens, DDP and high-dose MTX plus VCR. The results showed that the side effects of chemotherapy in control group were consistent with literatures; while the group treated with Chinese medicinal herbs suffered less toxic effects, the difference between two groups was statistically significant. The medicinal herbs used to reduce the side effects induced by DDP was Pinellia ternata, Amomum cardamomum, Bambusa textilis, Citrus reticulata etc.; while the herbs used to alleviate the adverse effects of high-dose MTX plus VCR was Gypsum, Anemarrhena asphodeloides, Rehmannia glutinosa, Ophiopogon japonicus, Scrophularia ningpoensis, etc.
––Liu JQ, Wu DW. Zhongguo Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Za Zhi. 1993 Mar;13(3):150-2, 132.
3. Clinical studies
Water-soluble extracts from ban xia were made into tablets for oral administration, each tablet was equal to 10g crude drug, 2~3 tablets, tid, after meals. 247 cases of cervical carcinoma at different stages were treated with this method for over 2 months’ course of treatment, and 63 cases were short-term cured, 84 markedly effective, 44 improved, the total effective rate was 77.3%. And it had an effective rate of 96.7% in patients at stage I, 74.7% in stage II, and 74.2% in stage III. Peeled fresh ban xia was made into pills after being smashed into paste, 2 g each time, 3~4 times daily. The pill was put under the tongue root and swallowed to treat 30 cases of obstruction in esophagus and cardia cancer. In the 25 patients of obstruction due to esophagus cancer, 9 were markedly effective, 12 improved; among 5 patients of cardia cancer, 2 were markedly effective. The administration was usually no more than 30 days.
sheng ban xia was decocted in water for over 15 minutes, modification was made according to different accompanying symptoms. 1 dose every other day, for consecutive 20 doses. Among treated 91 cases of thyroid tumor, 48 was cured, and 15 improved.
No related research.
1. Protein kinase C activation by iridal type triterpenoids.
Eleven iridal type triterpenoids from Iris tectorum and Belamcanda chinensis were examined for protein kinase C (PKC) activation and binding activity to PKC. Among the tested compounds, nine iridals showed dose-dependent activities, and a mutual relation between the two activities was also observed. 28-Deacetylbelamcandal, which has been found to be a new class 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate type tumor promoter, showed the most potent activity in both tests. The structural requirements of the iridals inducing these activities were as follows: 1) a hydrophobic side-chain, 2) an E-methylidene aldehyde group at the C-1 position, and 3) a hydroxyl group at the C-26 position.
––Takahashi K, Suzuki S, Hano Y, Nomura T. Biol Pharm Bull. 2002 Apr;25(4):432-6.
2. Anticancer effect
In vitro experiments showed that she gan had inhibitory effect on culture JTC-26 of human cervical cancer cell, and the inhibitory rate was over 90%.