Xue Ning, Fu Xingli, Zhu Yin, Da Nili, Zhang Jianbin
Department of Acupuncture, Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210017, People's Republic of China.
Department of Acupuncture, Jurong Hospital Affiliated to Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212400, People's Republic of China.
Cancer Manag Res. 2020 Sep 4;12:8015-8022. doi: 10.2147/CMAR.S249797. eCollection 2020.
Chemotherapeutic drugs often cause obvious toxicity and side effects. Moxibustion can improve the immunity of cancer patients, enhance cellular immunity, and reduce the toxicity and adverse effects of radiotherapy and chemotherapy. In this study, the efficacy of moxibustion combined with paclitaxel on breast cancer was evaluated.
A breast cancer mouse model was established. Hematoxylin and eosin staining was used to analyze tumor necrosis in mouse tumors. Immunohistochemistry, Western blot, and qPCR were used to detect the expression of CD34, hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α), vascular endothelial growth factor A(VEGFA), programmed death-1 (PD-1), and programmed death-1 ligand (PD-L1) in tumor tissues.
Moxibustion combined with paclitaxel significantly inhibited weight loss in breast cancer-burdened mice and increased the survival rate. Moxibustion combined with paclitaxel increased the number of white blood cells, thymus index, and spleen index, and enhanced immune function by upregulating interferon-gamma and interleukin-2 and downregulating interleukin-10 and transforming growth factor-β1. Notably, moxibustion combined with paclitaxel inhibited the angiogenesis of tumors through the downregulation of CD34, HIF-1α, and VEGFA, and overcame the immunosuppressive microenvironment by inhibiting the PD-1/PD-L1 signaling pathway.
Moxibustion improves the body's immune function and enhances the efficacy of chemotherapy by overcoming the immunosuppressive microenvironment.
化疗药物常引起明显的毒性和副作用。艾灸可提高癌症患者的免疫力，增强细胞免疫，并减轻放疗和化疗的毒性及不良反应。本研究评估了艾灸联合紫杉醇对乳腺癌的疗效。
建立乳腺癌小鼠模型。采用苏木精-伊红染色分析小鼠肿瘤中的肿瘤坏死情况。运用免疫组织化学、蛋白质免疫印迹法和实时定量聚合酶链反应检测肿瘤组织中CD34、缺氧诱导因子-1α（HIF-1α）、血管内皮生长因子A（VEGFA）、程序性死亡蛋白1（PD-1）和程序性死亡蛋白1配体（PD-L1）的表达。
艾灸联合紫杉醇显著抑制了荷乳腺癌小鼠的体重减轻，并提高了存活率。艾灸联合紫杉醇增加了白细胞数量、胸腺指数和脾脏指数，并通过上调γ干扰素和白细胞介素-2以及下调白细胞介素-10和转化生长因子-β1来增强免疫功能。值得注意的是，艾灸联合紫杉醇通过下调CD34、HIF-1α和VEGFA抑制肿瘤血管生成，并通过抑制PD-1/PD-L1信号通路克服免疫抑制微环境。
艾灸通过克服免疫抑制微环境改善机体免疫功能并增强化疗疗效。
