Department of Integrative Oncology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China.
PLoS One. 2013 Jul 29;8(7):e70334. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0070334. Print 2013.
Pancreatic cancer is an almost universally fatal disease resulting from early invasion of adjacent structures and metastasis and the lack of an effective treatment modality. Our previous studies have shown that Qingyihuaji Formula (QYHJ), a seven-herb Chinese medicine formula, had significant anti-cancer effects in pancreatic cancer. Here, we examined the effects of QYHJ on pancreatic cancer cell invasion and metastasis and the potential associated mechanism(s). We found that QYHJ inhibited both tumor growth and metastasis in nude mice with human pancreatic cancer cell xenografts. Further study indicated that QYHJ inhibited epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), which is characterized by increased E-cadherin expression and decreased vimentin, N-cadherin and Slug expression. Interleukin 6 (IL-6), a pro-inflammatory cytokine produced mainly by macrophages, could promote cancer cell EMT and invasion. In contrast, treatment with QYHJ inhibited cancer-related inflammation in tumors by decreasing infiltration of tumor-associated macrophages and IL-6 production, thus preventing cell invasion and metastasis. These results suggested that the Chinese herbal medicine QYHJ could inhibit pancreatic cancer cell invasion and metastasis in part by reversing tumor-supporting inflammation.
胰腺癌是一种几乎普遍致命的疾病，源于早期侵犯邻近结构和转移，以及缺乏有效的治疗方式。我们之前的研究表明，青银花剂（QYHJ），一种七草药中药配方，对胰腺癌具有显著的抗癌作用。在这里，我们研究了 QYHJ 对胰腺癌细胞侵袭和转移的影响及其潜在的相关机制。我们发现 QYHJ 抑制了裸鼠人胰腺癌细胞异种移植中的肿瘤生长和转移。进一步的研究表明，QYHJ 抑制了上皮-间充质转化（EMT），其特征是 E-钙粘蛋白表达增加，波形蛋白、N-钙粘蛋白和 Slug 表达减少。白细胞介素 6（IL-6），一种主要由巨噬细胞产生的促炎细胞因子，可促进癌细胞 EMT 和侵袭。相比之下，用 QYHJ 治疗可通过减少肿瘤相关巨噬细胞浸润和 IL-6 产生来抑制肿瘤相关炎症，从而防止细胞侵袭和转移。这些结果表明，中草药 QYHJ 可通过逆转肿瘤支持性炎症来抑制胰腺癌细胞的侵袭和转移。
