Targeting tumor-associated macrophages by anti-tumor Chinese materia medica

Antitumor effect of IL-12 gene-modified bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells combined with Fuzheng Yiliu decoction in an in vivo glioma nude mouse model

BACKGROUND

Glioma is a complex cancer with a high morbidity and high mortality. Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) have shown promise as an excellent cell/drug delivery vehicle for gene-targeted therapy; however, maintaining genetic stability and biological activity remains difficult. Furthermore, whether BMSCs support or inhibit tumor growth remains debated. This study investigated whether a traditional Chinese medicine fomular, Fuzheng Yiliu decoction (FYD) had a synergistic antitumor effect with IL-12 gene-modified BMSCs in glioma-bearing nude mice METHODS: The lentivirus-mediated IL-12 gene was transfected into primarily cultured BMSCs. A total of 72 BALB/c nude mice were used to establish xenograft models with glioma U251 cells and were divided into groups (n = 12) including blank control group, nude mouse model group (model group), lentiviral transfection of BMSC group with no gene loading (BMSC group), IL-12 lentivirus-transfected BMSC group (IL-12 + BMSC group), FYD treatment group (FYD group), and FYD treatment in IL-12 lentivirus-transfected BMSC group (FYD + IL-12 + BMSC group).. After treatment for 14 days, all mice were sacrificed to collect tumor tissue and serum for more detection, such as distribution of BMSCs, cell apoptosis in xenograft tumors, serum IL-12 and INF-γ levels, mouse weight and tumor volume were measured RESULTS: There were significantly more apoptotic cells in tumor tissue in IL-12 gene transfected group, FYD treatment group and FYD combining with IL-12 gene transfected group than that in the model group (P < 0.05). The FYD + IL-12 + BMSC group showed significantly higher Bax and lower Bcl-2 expression (P < 0.05), and serum IL-12 and INF-γ levels (P < 0.05) were higher than that in all other groups. After the intervention, this group also showed a strong inhibitory effect against tumor growth (P < 0.05) CONCLUSIONS: This study suggested FYD treatment combined with IL-12 gene-modified BMSCs shows synergistic antitumor effect in glioma-bearing nude mice.

The Protective Effects and Potential Mechanisms of Ligusticum chuanxiong: Focus on Anti-Inflammatory, Antioxidant, and Antiapoptotic Activities

Ligusticum chuanxiong (LC) is a Chinese materia medica which is widely used in clinical settings to treat headaches, blood extravasation, and arthritis. Recent studies demonstrate that LC possesses versatile pharmacological functions, including antiatherosclerosis, antimigraine, antiaging, and anticancer properties. Moreover, LC also shows protective effects in the progression of different diseases that damage somatic cells. Oxidative stress and inflammation, which can induce somatic cell apoptosis, are the main factors associated with an abundance of diseases, whose progresses can be reversed by LC. In order to comprehensively review the molecular mechanisms associated with the protective effects of LC, we collected and integrated all its related studies on the anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antiapoptotic effects. The results show that LC could exhibit the mentioned biological activities by modulating several signaling pathways, specifically the NF-κB, Nrf2, protein kinase, and caspase-3 pathways. In future investigations, the pharmacokinetic properties of bioactive compounds in LC and the signaling pathway modulation of LC could be focused.