Danggui Buxue Tang potentiates the cytotoxicity of 5‐fluorouracil on colorectal adenocarcinoma cells: A signaling mediated by c‐Jun N‐terminal kinase

Abstract

Danggui Buxue Tang (DBT) is a well-known Chinese herbal recipe often prescribed in clinical treatment for menopausal and cardiovascular symptoms. 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) is a chemotherapy drug that treats several cancers; however, it causes severe adverse effects and multidrug resistance. Combining natural medications can reduce the side effects of 5-FU use. Hence, we aimed to determine the role of DBT in strengthening the anticancer capabilities of 5-FU in a cultured colorectal adenocarcinoma cell line (HT-29 cell) and xenograft nude mice. HT-29 cells cultured with DBT did not exhibit cytotoxicity. However, co-administration of DBT with 5-FU significantly increased apoptosis and the expression of apoptotic markers. The inhibition of proliferation induced by DBT and 5-FU was shown to be mediated by c-Jun N-terminal kinase signaling. In addition, the potentiation effect of 5-FU and DBT was demonstrated in reducing tumor size, expressions of Ki67 and CD34 in HT-29 xenograft mice. This finding suggests that DBT can work with 5-FU as a novel chemotherapeutic strategy for treating colon cancer. K E Y W O R D S 5-FU, co-administration, colorectal cancer, Danggui Buxue Tang 1 | INTRODUCTION Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths globally, with about 200 million new cases per year (Kuipers

Synergistic and Additive Effects of Herbal Medicines in Combination with Chemotherapeutics: A Scoping Review

“…Danggui Buxue Tang, a traditional herbal formula composed of Astragali Radix and Angelica Sinensis Radix , recorded in “Neiwaishang Bianhuo Lun” published in 1247, has been reported to significantly enhances apoptosis and reduce tumor weight and volume in colorectal cancer cells when combined with 5-FU. 39 This effect seems to be associated with increased phosphorylation of JNK and C-Jun.…”

Chinmedomics strategy for elucidating the effects and effective constituents of Danggui Buxue Decoction in treating blood deficiency syndrome

“…Blood deficiency syndrome (BDS) is a fundamental syndrome in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and is caused by insufficient blood and excessive consumption (Sun et al, 2022). The incidence of BDS is predicted to increase dramatically, leading to detrimental health effects including headaches, weakened immune systems, and infertility (Huang et al, 2020;Wang et al, 2021;Gong et al, 2023). Although blood transfusion is the current clinical therapy, it may lead to allergic reactions and gastrointestinal discomfort, and BDS may recur upon discontinuation of treatment (Kurihara et al, 2016).…”

Efficacy and Safety of Compound Kushen Injection for Advanced Colorectal Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials with Trial Sequential Analysis

“…Numerous clinical studies have found that TCM combined with chemotherapy in the treatment of CRC may improve clinical symptoms, enhance immunity, and alleviate chemotherapy-induced adverse reactions. 8 - 10 Compound Kushen injection (CKI) is one of the representative and effective Chinese patent medicines, which is extracted from 2 medical herbs: Kushen ( Sophora flavescens Ait.) and Baituling ( Smilax glabra Roxb.).…”