title: Anticancer effect of a Kampo preparation Daikenchuto.
abstract: No traditional Japanese and Chinese herbal preparations have been shown to be effective antitumor agents, and a Japanese herbal therapy (Kampo medicine) for cancer that causes fewer adverse drug reactions than orthodox pharmaceuticals is desired. Our present study demonstrated that a Kampo preparation Daikenchuto (DKT) exerts an antitumor effect against various cancer cells. We also discovered an antitumor factor in Japanese Zanthoxylum peel, which is an ingredient of DKT. Breast, esophageal, gastric, and colon cancer cell lines were individually incubated with DKT for 1-72 h, followed by assessment of tumor growth inhibition by MTT assay. The cancer cells were also analyzed for apoptotic changes after DKT treatment. Nude mice were used to establish a model of gastric cancer tumor growth and peritoneal disseminated metastasis, in which the number of peritoneal disseminations was evaluated after oral administration of DKT for 4 weeks. In addition, the antitumor effects of the individual DKT ingredients (viz., ginseng, Japanese Zanthoxylum peel, and processed ginger) and other Kampo preparations were also analyzed. The antitumor effect of DKT was demonstrated in gastric, breast, esophageal, and colon cancer cells. DKT treatment induced apoptosis in these cells. Oral administration of DKT had a tendency to reduce the growth and significantly reduced the peritoneal dissemination of gastric cancer in the nude mouse model compared with control. DKT exhibited a higher antitumor effect than other Kampo preparations. Furthermore, Japanese Zanthoxylum peel, an ingredient of DKT, showed a particularly potent antitumor effect. Our study indicated that DKT is useful as a Kampo preparation for cancer therapy. We also showed that Japanese Zanthoxylum peel, an ingredient of DKT, contains an antitumor factor.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery and Science, Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences for Research, University of Toyama, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama, Toyama, 930-0194, Japan. nagataku10h@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Takuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nagata
authors.affiliation: Division of Pharmacognosy, Institute of Natural Medicine, University of Toyama, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama, Toyama, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazufumi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Toume
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery and Science, Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences for Research, University of Toyama, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama, Toyama, 930-0194, Japan.
authors.forename: Lv Xiao
authors.initials: LX
authors.lastname: Long
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery and Science, Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences for Research, University of Toyama, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama, Toyama, 930-0194, Japan.
authors.forename: Katsuhisa
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hirano
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery and Science, Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences for Research, University of Toyama, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama, Toyama, 930-0194, Japan.
authors.forename: Toru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery and Science, Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences for Research, University of Toyama, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama, Toyama, 930-0194, Japan.
authors.forename: Shinichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sekine
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery and Science, Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences for Research, University of Toyama, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama, Toyama, 930-0194, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomoyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Okumura
authors.affiliation: Division of Pharmacognosy, Institute of Natural Medicine, University of Toyama, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama, Toyama, Japan.
authors.forename: Katsuko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Komatsu
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery and Science, Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences for Research, University of Toyama, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama, Toyama, 930-0194, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuhiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tsukada
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020835:Medicine, Kampo / Q000379:methods*; D051379:Mice; D008819:Mice, Nude; D005894:Panax; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D032106:Zanthoxylum; D030521:Zingiberaceae
chemical_list: D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D010936:Plant Extracts; C121414:dai-kenchu-to
keywords: Daikenchuto (DKT); Japanese Zanthoxylum peel; Kampo medicines