Department of Oriental Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Wonkwang-Oriental Medicines Research Institute, Wonkwang University, Iksan, Jeonbuk 54538, Korea.
Department of Clinical and Administrative Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, University of Georgia, Augusta, GA 30901, USA.
Nutrients. 2020 Oct 19;12(10):3195. doi: 10.3390/nu12103195.
Cachexia induced by cancer is a systemic wasting syndrome and it accompanies continuous body weight loss with the exhaustion of skeletal muscle and adipose tissue. Cancer cachexia is not only a problem in itself, but it also reduces the effectiveness of treatments and deteriorates quality of life. However, effective treatments have not been found yet. Although Arctii Fructus (AF) has been studied about several pharmacological effects, there were no reports on its use in cancer cachexia.
To induce cancer cachexia in mice, we inoculated CT-26 cells to BALB/c mice through subcutaneous injection and intraperitoneal injection. To mimic cancer cachexia in vitro, we used conditioned media (CM), which was CT-26 colon cancer cells cultured medium.
In in vivo experiments, AF suppressed expression of interleukin (IL)-6 and atrophy of skeletal muscle and adipose tissue. As a result, the administration of AF decreased mortality by preventing weight loss. In adipose tissue, AF decreased expression of uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) by restoring AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activation. In in vitro model, CM increased muscle degradation factors and decreased adipocytes differentiation factors. However, these tendencies were ameliorated by AF treatment in C2C12 myoblasts and 3T3-L1 cells.
Taken together, our study demonstrated that AF could be a therapeutic supplement for patients suffering from cancer cachexia.
癌症引起的恶病质是一种全身性消耗综合征，伴随着骨骼肌和脂肪组织的不断消耗导致体重持续下降。癌症恶病质不仅本身是一个问题，还会降低治疗效果，恶化生活质量。然而，目前尚未找到有效的治疗方法。虽然苍术已被研究具有多种药理作用，但尚无关于其在癌症恶病质中应用的报道。
通过皮下注射和腹腔注射将 CT-26 细胞接种到 BALB/c 小鼠中，以诱导癌症恶病质。为了模拟体外癌症恶病质，我们使用 CT-26 结肠癌细胞培养的条件培养基（CM）。
在体内实验中，苍术抑制了白细胞介素（IL）-6 的表达和骨骼肌及脂肪组织的萎缩。结果，苍术通过防止体重减轻而降低了死亡率。在脂肪组织中，苍术通过恢复 AMP 激活蛋白激酶（AMPK）的激活来降低解偶联蛋白 1（UCP1）的表达。在体外模型中，CM 增加了肌肉降解因子的表达，减少了脂肪细胞分化因子的表达。然而，苍术处理可改善 C2C12 成肌细胞和 3T3-L1 细胞中的这些趋势。
综上所述，我们的研究表明苍术可能是癌症恶病质患者的一种治疗性补充剂。
