Institute of Medical and Molecular Toxicology, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
Pharm Biol. 2010 Nov;48(11):1302-9. doi: 10.3109/13880201003789432. Epub 2010 Aug 25.
Tianhua (TH-R) is extracted from Trichosanthes kirilowii Maxim (Cucurbitaceae) containing trichosanthin, a traditional Chinese medicine, which has been locally reported to have good anticancer effects in vivo in both animal and human models. However, there have been several reports that trichosanthin has an anticancer effect involving apoptosis.
To investigate other anticancer effects of TH-R, various tumorigenesis parameters were verified.
Telomerase activity, anti-apoptosis, anti-migration and immunomodulatory activity were estimated by telomeric repeat amplification protocol assay (TRAP), flow cytometry, Boyden chamber assay and ELISA assay, respectively.
In our studies, we are the first to find that TH-R had a cytotoxic effect on lung cancer cells in MTS assays; it could change the cell cycle distribution of human lung cancer cells (A549 cell line) and induce apoptosis. Further anti-telomerase effects in human lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells using the TRAP assay were noted. TH-R also had an aggregation effect on peripheral blood lymphocytes, but no effect on stimulating peripheral lymphocytes to produce human interferon-γ(IFN-γ). TH-R could inhibit the migration, or metastatic ability, of A549 cells by Boyden chamber assay. In the oral feeding therapy of an in vivo mouse model, there was an initial inhibition of A549 cancer cell growth, but no statistical difference after one month of therapy.
It has been proven that medicinal herbs such as Tianhua have positive effects against cancer through preventing or inhibiting the process of lung tumorigenesis.
天花粉（TH-R）是从葫芦科栝楼（Trichosanthes kirilowii Maxim）中提取的，含有天花粉蛋白，这是一种传统的中药，已在动物和人体模型中局部报道具有良好的体内抗癌作用。然而，有几项报道称天花粉蛋白具有涉及细胞凋亡的抗癌作用。
研究天花粉（TH-R）的其他抗癌作用，验证各种肿瘤发生参数。
通过端粒重复扩增协议测定法（TRAP）、流式细胞术、Boyden 室测定法和 ELISA 测定法分别评估端粒酶活性、抗凋亡、抗迁移和免疫调节活性。
在我们的研究中，我们首次发现 TH-R 在 MTS 测定中对肺癌细胞具有细胞毒性作用；它可以改变人肺癌细胞（A549 细胞系）的细胞周期分布并诱导细胞凋亡。进一步使用 TRAP 测定法在人肺腺癌细胞 A549 中观察到抗端粒酶作用。TH-R 对外周血淋巴细胞也有聚集作用，但对刺激外周淋巴细胞产生人干扰素-γ（IFN-γ）没有影响。TH-R 可以通过 Boyden 室测定法抑制 A549 细胞的迁移或转移能力。在体内小鼠模型的口服治疗中，初始时抑制了 A549 癌细胞的生长，但治疗一个月后无统计学差异。
已证明天化等草药通过预防或抑制肺肿瘤发生过程对癌症具有积极作用。
