Zheng Lixiang, Zheng Qing, Yu Zhipeng, Wang Jian, Ren Xiaoying, Gong Yan, Yang Xue, Huang Ping, Weng Meizhi, Liu Hongning, Liu Haizhou
School of Basic Medicine, Jiangxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanchang 330004, China.
Jiangxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanchang 330004, China.
J Tradit Chin Med. 2019 Dec;39(6):826-832.
To investigate if the Liuwei Dihuang pill (LWDHP) can inhibit metastasis to the liver and lungs in mice bearing triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), and the molecular mechanism underpinning this action.
Ninety-nine TNBC bearing-mice were distributed randomly to five groups: control (Con), paclitaxel (PTX), low-dose LWDHP (LLP, 2.3 g·kg－1·d－1), middle-dose LWDHP (MLP, 4.6 g·kg－1·d－1) and high-dose LWDHP (HLP, 9.2 g·kg－1·d－1). The LWDHP were administered (p.o.) to the agonal stage. The morphology of BC cells was observed by hematoxylin & eosin staining. Expression of axin-2, β-catenin, T cell factor (TCF), cyclin- D1 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was detected by western blotting or immunofluorescence. β-catenin/TCF-1 interaction was measured using a co-immunoprecipitation assay.
After LWDHP treatment, metastasis of BC cells to the lungs and liver was inhibited, expression of axin-2 was increased, expression of TCF-1, β-catenin, cyclin-D1 and VEGF was decreased, and β-catenin/TCF-1 interaction was disrupted.
The LWDHP could inhibit metastasis of BC cells to the liver and lungs. The molecular mechanism underlying this action may be regulation of protein expression and β-catenin/TCF-1 interactions in the Wnt pathway.
