Efficacy and safety of Kanglaite injection combined with chemotherapy for colorectal cancer: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Combination of thalidomide and Clostridium butyricum relieves chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting via gut microbiota and vagus nerve activity modulation

Nausea and vomiting (CINV) are distressful and widespread side effects of chemotherapy, and additional efficient regimens to alleviate CINV are urgently needed. In the present study, colorectal cancer (CRC) mice model induced by Azoxymethane (AOM)/Dextran Sodium Sulfate (DSS) was employed to evaluate the cancer suppression and CINV amelioration effect of the combination of thalidomide (THD) and Clostridium butyricum. Our results suggested that the combination of THD and C. butyricum abundantly enhanced the anticancer effect of cisplatin via activating the caspase-3 apoptosis pathway, and also ameliorated CINV via inhibiting the neurotransmitter (e.g., 5-HT and tachykinin 1) and its receptor (e.g., 5-HT₃R and NK-1R) in brain and colon. Additionally, the combination of THD and C. butyricum reversed the gut dysbacteriosis in CRC mice by increasing the abundance of Clostridium, Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, and Ruminococcus at the genus level, and also led to increased expression of occludin and Trek1 in the colon, while decreased expression of TLR4, MyD88, NF-κB, and HDAC1, as well as the mRNA level of IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α. In all, these results suggest that the combination of THD and C. butyricum had good efficacy in enhancing cancer treatments and ameliorating CINV, which thus provides a more effective strategy for the treatment of CRC.

Network Pharmacology-Based Analysis of the Potential Biological Mechanisms of Coix Seed against Colorectal Cancer

Objective

The aim of this study was to explore the potential biological mechanisms of coix seed in the treatment of colorectal cancer (CRC) based on network pharmacology analysis.

Methods

The active components of coix seed and their potential action targets were retrieved from Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform(TCMSP). The disease targets related to CRC were obtained from the DisGeNET database. The intersection targets of the drug targets and disease targets were selected, and a component-target-disease network was built using Cytoscape 3.8.0 tool. A global network of the core target protein interactions was constructed using String database. Biological function analysis and pathway enrichment analysis of core targets were conducted to explore the potential.

Results

A total of nine active components were obtained from the TCMSP database corresponding to 37 targets. Further analysis showed that 18 overlapping targets were associated with CRC. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis was conducted based on the 18 targets and 11 significantly enriched signaling pathways implicated in CRC were identified.

Conclusion

The multicomponent and multitarget characteristics of coix seed are preliminarily verified, and the potential biological mechanisms of coix seed in the treatment of CRC are predicted, which provides a theoretical basis for the experimental research.

Tenglong Buzhong granules inhibits the growth of SW620 human colon cancer

OBJECTIVE

To observe the anticancer effects of the granular preparation of Tenglong Buzhong decoction (,TBD), i.e Tenglong Buzhong granules (, TBG), in human SW620 colon cancer.

METHODS

BALB/c nude mice were subcutaneously transplanted with SW620 cells, and treated with TBG (2.56 g/kg, once per day) and/or 5-Fu (104 mg/kg, once per week) for 21 d. Apoptosis, Caspase activities and cellular senescence were measured by commercial kits. The protein expression and phosphorylation were detected by Western blot or immunohistochemistry.

RESULTS

TBG and 5-Fu inhibited tumor growth. The tumor inhibition rate of the TBG, 5-Fu, and TBG+5-Fu groups was 42.25%, 51.58%, and 76.08%, respectively. Combination of TBG and 5-Fu showed synergetic anti-cancer effects. TBG and 5-Fu induced apoptosis, activated caspase-3, -8, and -9, increased SMAC expression, inhibited XIAP expression. TBG induced cellular senescence, upregulated cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1a (CDKN1a) and cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2a (CDKN2a) expression, and inhibited phosphorylation of retinoblastoma-associated protein (RB) and expression of cyclin E1 (CCNE1) and cyclin-dependent kinases (CDK) 2. TBG also inhibited angiogenesis accompanied by downregulation of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α).

CONCLUSIONS

TBG inhibits SW620 colon cancer growth, induces apoptosis SMAC-XIAP-Caspases signaling, induces cellular senescence through CDKN1a/CDKN2a-RB-E2F signaling, inhibits angiogenesis by down-regulation of HIF-1α and VEGF, and enhances the effects of 5-Fu.

Coix seed oil regulates mitochondrial functional damage to induce apoptosis of human pancreatic cancer cells via the PTEN/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway

BACKGROUND

Coix seed oil (CSO) has a wide range of anticancer effects. However, the mechanism of action against pancreatic cancer (PC) and regulation of mitochondria in vitro is still unclear.

MATERIALS AND RESULTS

This research investigated the possible mechanism of CSO induction of PC cell apoptosis and regulating mitochondrial functional damage. Proliferation of PC cells, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), qualitative and quantitative analysis of PC cell apoptosis, openness of mitochondrial permeability transition pore, related protein expression, generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and gene expression were determined by cell counting kit-8, JC-1 staining, acridine orange and ethidium bromide staining, flow cytometry, calcein-AM/cobalt staining, western blotting, dichlorofluorescein diacetate probe, and quantitative real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, respectively. We confirmed that PTEN protein was involved in CSO-induced PANC-1 cell apoptosis and mitochondrial functional damage. CSO induced depolarization of MMP, increased opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore, increased ROS production, and further increased mitochondrial damage. Additionally, CSO downregulated expression of p-AKT and p-PI3K proteins; upregulated protein expression of cleaved caspase-9, Bax, cleaved caspase-3 and cytochrome c; and downregulated expression of Bcl-2 by upregulating the PTEN gene. The corresponding protein expression was consistent with the gene expression level. Furthermore, the loss of function of PTEN protein reduces the ability of CSO to induce apoptosis of PANC-1 cells and damage to mitochondrial function.

CONCLUSIONS

CSO induces apoptosis of PANC-1 PC cells by modulating mitochondrial functional impairment and related apoptotic molecules via PTEN, which may be closely related to the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.

Kanglaite Combined With Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor-Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Therapy for Stage III/IV Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A PRISMA-Compliant Meta-Analysis

Objective: Kanglaite(KLT), a type of Chinese medicine preparation, is considered as an adjuvant therapeutic option for malignant cancer treatment. This study aimed to systematically investigate the efficacy and safety of the combination of KLT and epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI) for the treatment of stage III/IV non-small cell lung cancer.

Methods: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared KLT plus EGFR-TKI with EGFR-TKI alone for the treatment of stage III/IV non-small cell lung cancer were reviewed. Literature searches (up to July 10, 2021) were performed on PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Embase, ClinicalTrials.gov, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Database, and the Chinese Scientific Journal Database. Two researchers independently assessed the risk of bias with the tool of Cochrane Collaboration. RevMan 5.3.0 was used in the analysis of the included trial data.

Results: 12 RCTs recruiting 1,046 patients with stage III/IV NSCLC were included. Results showed that compared with EGFR-TKI alone, KLT plus EGFR-TKI significantly increased the disease control rate (DCR) (odds ratio [OR]=3.26; 95% confidence interval [CI]:2.22–4.77; p < 0.00001), the objective response rate (ORR) (OR=2.59; 95% CI:1.87–3.58; p < 0.00001) and Karnofsky performance status (KPS) (OR = 2.76; 95% CI:1.73–4.39; p < 0.00001). Furthermore, patient immunity was enhanced with KLT plus EGFR-TKI. The combined treatment increased the percentage of CD4 + T cells (weighted mean difference [WMD]=5.36; 95% CI:3.60–7.13; p < 0.00001),the CD4+/CD8 + ratio (WMD = 0.18; 95% CI: 0.08–0.27; p = 0.004), and percentage of NK cells (WMD=4.84; 95% CI: 3.66–6.02; p < 0.00001).With regard to drug toxicity, the occurrence rate of nausea and vomiting was significantly reduced by KLT plus EGFR-TKI (OR=0.37; 95% CI: 0.16–0.86; p = 0.02).

Conclusion: KLT plus EGFR-TKI was effective in treating stage III/IV non-small cell lung cancer. Thus, its application in these patients is worth promoting. Additional double-blind, well-designed and multicenter RCTs are required to confirm the efficacy and safety of this treatment.