|
1
|
Zhang F, Li H, Lin X, Zhu X, Chen X, Wang B, Zhu Z, Chen X, Liang G, Zhang J, Wei X, Tian H. In vivo flow cytometry reveals an anti-metastatic effect of Rujifang in triple-negative breast cancer. Cytometry A 2023; 103:723-731. [PMID: 37276218 DOI: 10.1002/cyto.a.24768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2022] [Revised: 03/15/2023] [Accepted: 06/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Breast cancer is the most common cancer, and triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) has the highest metastasis and mortality rate among all breast cancer subtypes. Rujifang is a traditional Chinese medicine formula with many years of clinical application in breast cancer treatment. Here, we aim to investigate the effects of Rujifang on circulating tumor cell (CTC) dynamics and the tumor microenvironment in a ZsGreen/luciferase double-labeled TNBC orthotopic model. We report that the number of CTCs monitored by in vivo flow cytometry (IVFC) strongly correlates with disease progression. Rujifang treatment decreased the number of CTCs and suppressed the distant metastasis of TNBC. Moreover, immunofluorescence analysis revealed that Rujifang treatment could affect the tumor microenvironment by downregulating Kindlin-1, which has been reported to promote metastasis of TNBC. Our study provides evidence of the anti-metastatic effect of Rujifang against TNBC in an animal model using fluorescent cell lines. The results suggest the potential therapeutic value of Rujifang as an anti-metastatic drug, however, further clinical trials are needed to validate these findings in humans.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Fuli Zhang
- Med-X Research Institute and School of Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Hongliang Li
- Cancer Center, Foshan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Foshan, China
| | - Xuan Lin
- Cancer Center, The 8th Clinical Medical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Foshan, China
| | - Xi Zhu
- School of Rehabilitation, Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
| | - Xuezhang Chen
- Cancer Center, Foshan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Foshan, China
| | - Bin Wang
- Cancer Center, Foshan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Foshan, China
| | - Zhixia Zhu
- Cancer Center, Foshan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Foshan, China
| | - Xikang Chen
- Cancer Center, Foshan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Foshan, China
| | - Guiwen Liang
- Cancer Center, Foshan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Foshan, China
| | - Jingtao Zhang
- Cancer Center, Foshan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Foshan, China
| | - Xunbin Wei
- Med-X Research Institute and School of Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
- Institute of Medical Technology, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China
- Biomedical Engineering Department, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education/Beijing), Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, Beijing, China
| | - Huaqin Tian
- Cancer Center, Foshan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Foshan, China
| |
Collapse
|