Chemoprevention of Lung Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Mice by a Mixture of Chinese Herbs

Abstract

Anti-tumor B (ATB) is a Chinese herbal mixture of six plants. Previous studies have shown significant chemopreventive efficacy of ATB against human esophageal and lung cancers. We have recently developed a new mouse model for lung squamous cell carcinomas (SCC). In this study, lung SCC mouse model was characterized using small-animal imaging techniques (MRI and CT). ATB decreased lung SCC significantly (3.1 fold, p < 0.05) and increased lung hyperplastic lesions by 2.4 fold (p < 0.05). This observation suggests that ATB can block hyperplasia from progression to SCC. ATB tissue distribution was determined using matrine as a marker chemical. We found that ATB is rapidly absorbed and then distributes to various tissues including the lung. These results indicate that ATB is a potent chemopreventive agent against the development of mouse lung squamous cell carcinomas.

Traditional Chinese Medicine Herbal Treatment May Have a Relevant Impact on the Prognosis of Patients With Stage IV Adenocarcinoma of the Lung Treated With Platinum-Based Chemotherapy or Combined Targeted Therapy and Chemotherapy

“…They are also supported by cell culture and animal experiments in which TCM herbs decrease proliferation, induce apoptosis in tumor cells, and also strengthen the immune system. [27][28][29][30][31] The survival of patients treated with chemotherapy plus TCM herbal treatment studied by us was better than usual in stage IV lung cancers treated with conventional chemotherapy alone. 1,9,14 It is unlikely that this is the result of bias in selection of the patient population.…”

Matrine induces the apoptosis of lung cancer cells through downregulation of inhibitor of apoptosis proteins and the Akt signaling pathway

“…Given the dosage of matrine used in TCM concoctions, concentrations of matrine used in the present study should be well tolerated by the human body. In a mouse model for squamous cell carcinoma, matrine was administered at a dosage of 250 g/kg with no apparent adverse impact on health (49). Furthermore, it has been reported that matrine could ease the pain of cancer patients receiving chemotherapy, enhance the body's immunity and protect major organs such as the heart, liver and kidney from being damaged by chemicals/drugs during chemotherapy (50)(51)(52), all of which could help improve the quality of life of lung cancer patients receiving chemotherapy.…”

Chemopreventive Effects of Pioglitazone on Chemically Induced Lung Carcinogenesis in Mice

“…12), head and neck SCC (13), and osteosarcomas and lymphomas (14) when compared with wild-type mice. We have systematically characterized this model for use in chemoprevention studies of lung adenocarcinoma and lung SCC (11,13,(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20). Because human lung cancer is composed of multiple histologic subtypes reflecting deregulation of a variety of molecular pathways, identification of chemopreventive agents with broad utility across the diverse lung pathologies is likely to be optimized through the use of multiple models.…”