Effects of Qingyi Huaji decoction on serum levels of interleukin-6, interleukin-8 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha in nude mice bearing pancreatic tumors.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the effects of Qingyi Huaji (QYHJ) decoction, a compound traditional Chinese herbal medicine, on tumor inhibition rate and serum levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-8 (IL-8) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) in nude mice with transplanted tumors of human pancreatic cancer.


METHODS
The tumor-bearing mice model was established by subcutaneously inoculating with xenografts of pancreatic cancer into the right armpit of 40 BALB/c nude mice. After successful modeling, the mice were randomly divided into untreated group (Arabic gum), capecitabine group, low-dose QYHJ decoction group (36 g/kg) and high-dose QYHJ decoction group (72 g/kg), with 10 mice in each group. Citrate buffer solution (containing 5% Arabic gum), capecitabine suspension and QYHJ decoction were administered to four groups by gavage respectively. After 5-week treatment, the concentrations of serum IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-alpha were examined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using blood sample from eye socket. Then the mice were euthanized by cervical dislocation. Tumor weight and the tumor inhibition rate were calculated.


RESULTS
Tumor weight in the low-dose QYHJ decoction group decreased significantly as compared with the untreated group (P<0.05). Serum levels of IL-6 and TNF-alpha in low- and high-dose QYHJ groups were extremely significantly lower than those in the untreated group (P<0.01). Serum level of IL-8 in the low-dose QYHJ group was significantly lower than that in the untreated group (P<0.05). Correlation analysis showed that transplanted tumor weight of the mice was linearly positively correlated with serum levels of IL-6, IL-8 or TNF-alpha (P<0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
Conventional dose of QYHJ decoction is effective in suppressing pancreatic carcinoma in nude mice. The mechanism may be related to down-regulation of serum cytokines such as IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-alpha.
Ouyang
Hua-Qiang
HQ
Department of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Cancer Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China.
Liu
Lu-Ming
LM
Chen
Zhen
Z
Luo
Jian-Min
JM
Yu
Er-Xin
EX
D000818:Animals; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood; D016209:Interleukin-8 / Q000097:blood; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008819:Mice, Nude; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation; D009374:Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy; D008517:Phytotherapy; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000097:blood
D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D015850:Interleukin-6; D016209:Interleukin-8; C550234:Qingyihuaji; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha