title: Reversal effects of traditional Chinese herbs on multidrug resistance in cancer cells.
abstract: Multidrug resistance (MDR) continues to be a major obstacle for successful anticancer therapy. In this work, fractions from 17 clinically used antitumour traditional Chinese medicinal herbs were tested for their potential to restore the sensitivity of MCF-7/ADR and A549/Taxol cells to a known antineoplastic agent. The effects of these fractions were evaluated by MTT method and an assay of the cellular accumulation of doxorubicin. Fractions from the PB group (herbs with the ability to promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis) showed more significant effects than fractions from the CH group (herbs with the ability to clear away heat and toxic materials). Fractions from CH₂Cl₂ extracts were more effective than fractions from EtOAc extracts. Five herbs (Curcuma wenyujin, Chrysanthemum indicum, Salvia chinensis, Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort. and Cassia tora L.) could sensitise these resistant cancer cells at a non-toxic concentration (10 µg mL⁻¹), and markedly increased doxorubicin accumulation in MCF-7/ADR cells, which necessitates further investigations on the active ingredients of these herbs and their underlying mechanisms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Natural Medicinal Chemistry, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Dan-Dan
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: Zhong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Jun-Song
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Ling-Yi
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Kong
mesh_terms: D000085:Acetates; D002366:Cassia / Q000737:chemistry; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D031202:Chrysanthemum / Q000737:chemistry; D030024:Curcuma / Q000737:chemistry; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D018432:Drug Resistance, Multiple / Q000187:drug effects*; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D030004:Ligusticum; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional / Q000379:methods*; D008752:Methylene Chloride; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010946:Plants, Medicinal / Q000737:chemistry*; D027544:Salvia / Q000737:chemistry; D013778:Tetrazolium Salts; D013844:Thiazoles
chemical_list: D000085:Acetates; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D010936:Plant Extracts; D013778:Tetrazolium Salts; D013844:Thiazoles; D008752:Methylene Chloride; C007650:ethyl acetate; D004317:Doxorubicin; C022616:thiazolyl blue; C101574:chuangxiong extract