An Optimized Two-Herb Chinese Food as Medicine Formula Reduces Cisplatin-Induced Nephrotoxicity in the Treatment of Lung Cancer in Mice

Abstract

Chemotherapy is considered a most effective way to treat cancer. However, it is very common that chemotherapy causes unbearable mental and physical side effects to cancer patients, which ultimately reduces the patients’ confidence of overcoming diseases and compromises the treatment of chemotherapy. Cisplatin (DDP), a widely used anticancer agent for various types of cancers, also damages nontumor cells and tissues, which are mostly related to the activation of the inflammation pathway. Previously, we have discovered a few rational formulas of food as medicine materials that reduced systemic inflammation in in vitro and in vivo models. Hence, this study reports the ability of an optimized traditional Chinese anti-inflammatory formulation capable of synergizing the antitumor effect of DDP in vitro and in vivo. More significantly, by formulation of two anti-inflammatory herbal medicine, the Chrysanthemum × morifolium (Ramat.) Hemsl [Asteraceae] and Lonicera japonica Thunb [Caprifoliaceae] with a mediator Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch. ex DC [Fabaceae], a best formula relieved the kidney damage imposed by DDP. Treatments of various combinations of major chemical components of the three herbs also exhibited a similar trend for lowering the DDP-induced nephrotoxicity; however, contrary to that of the formula of herbal extracts, all chemical formulas could not recover the body weight and food intake of the tumor-bearing mice treated by DDP. Our findings suggested that the therapeutic index of DDP-based chemotherapy was able to be improved by minimizing toxicities from the two-herb formula to inhibit the inflammation in mouse tumor models and DDP-induced acute kidney injury mouse models.

3,5-DCQA as a Major Molecule in MeJA-Treated Dendropanax morbifera Adventitious Root to Promote Anti-Lung Cancer and Anti-Inflammatory Activities

“…The generation of intracellular ROS in A549 cells due to the impact of 3,5-DCQA was definitively confirmed [ 79 ]. Previous reports have highlighted ROS as a primary target for inhibiting cancer cells, and our conducted experiment with 3,5-DCQA induced robust oxidative stress responses in A549 cells [ 80 ].…”

Cell Membrane Sialome: Sialic Acids as Therapeutic Targets and Regulators of Drug Resistance in Human Cancer Management

“…Additionally, various other herbs and formulations whose precise pharmacological activities are yet to be fully elucidated, including Lonicerae Japonicae Flos, Yupingfeng San, and Huanglian Jiedu Decoction, have been shown to exert inhibitory effects on human neuraminidases [163]. Consequently, the investigation of natural compounds with neuraminidase and/or sialyltransferase modulatory activity presents an unexplored avenue with significant potential to augment existing cancer treatments and combat chemoresistance [164][165][166][167][168][169][170].…”

TRPA1 promotes cisplatin-induced acute kidney injury via regulating the endoplasmic reticulum stress-mitochondrial damage

“…Cisplatin (DDP) is one of the most commonly used and efficient chemotherapy drugs for various types of human cancers, such as testicular, ovarian, bladder, small and non-small cell lung cancer, cervical, sarcoma and lymphoma [ 1 ]. Unfortunately, nephrotoxicity, one of the most prominent adverse effects of cisplatin, greatly restricts the therapeutic use of the drug, with 20–30% of cisplatin patients experiencing acute kidney injury (AKI) [ 2 , 3 ]. AKI is characterized by high morbidity and mortality.…”