title: Hedyotis diffusa water extract diminished the cytotoxic effects of chemotherapy drugs against human breast cancer MCF7 cells.
abstract: Hedyotis diffusa is a Chinese herbal medicine widely used in combination with other herbal medicines such as Scutellaria barbata to treat various types of cancer. Late-stage and recurrent cancer patients usually use H. diffusa during chemotherapy in expecting to achieve additive or synergistic therapeutic effects. Several classes of active ingredients, including anthraquinones, iridoid glucosides and stigmasterols. have been isolated and characterized from H. diffusa. In the current study, we isolated alkaloid/flavonoid from H diffusa and showed that the crude alkaloid/flavonoid extract rather than its three major components possessed antitumor activity against human breast cancer cell line MCF7. Co-administration of H. diffusa water extract diminished the cytotoxicities of chemotherapy drugs doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide and docetaxel towards the MCF7 cells, implicating that H. diffusa should not be used during breast cancer chemotherapy.
authors.forename: Qiulin
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.forename: Binbing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ling
authors.forename: Bosong
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Jason
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Maley
authors.forename: Ramaswami
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sammynaiken
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D032064:Hedyotis / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D061986:MCF-7 Cells; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D010936:Plant Extracts