The Relationship between Prevention and Treatment of Colorectal Cancer and Cancerous Toxin Pathogenesis Theory Basing on Gut Microbiota

Long‑term survival of a patient with advanced lung cancer treated with targeted therapy and anti‑PD‑1 immunotherapy as multi‑line therapy: A case report

Lung cancer is the most common type of cancer worldwide. Lung adenocarcinoma, a type of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), is a common type of lung cancer. In recent years, immunotherapy has become the primary method of treatment for several solid cancers, including NSCLC. In the present study, the case of a patient with NSCLC following left superior lobectomy is reported. Different systemic therapies failed, such as a pemetrexed + carboplatin regimen, paclitaxel liposome + cisplatin and pembrolizumab, and albumin-bound paclitaxel + toripalimab, but long-term survival was achieved following targeted therapy and anti-programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) immunotherapy. The patient survived for >4 years following lung cancer progression, which is notably longer than expected for patients with advanced lung cancer. In conclusion, the present case demonstrated the efficacy of targeted therapy and anti-PD-1 immunotherapy for the treatment of advanced lung cancer following the occurrence of drug resistance and progressive disease.

Research progress on the biological basis of Traditional Chinese Medicine syndromes of gastrointestinal cancers

Gastrointestinal cancers account for 11.6 % of all cancers, and are the second most frequently diagnosed type of cancer worldwide. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), together with Western medicine or alone, has unique advantages for the prevention and treatment of cancers, including gastrointestinal cancers. Syndrome differentiation and treatment are basic characteristics of the theoretical system of TCM. TCM syndromes are the result of the differentiation of the syndrome and the basis of treatment. Genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, intestinal microbiota, and serology, generated around the central law, are used to study the biological basis of TCM syndromes in gastrointestinal cancers. This review summarizes current research on the biological basis of TCM syndrome in gastrointestinal cancers and provides useful references for future research on TCM syndrome in gastrointestinal cancers.

Integrated gut microbiota and metabolome analysis reveals the mechanism of Xiaoai Jiedu recipe in ameliorating colorectal cancer

Introduction

Xiaoai Jiedu recipe (XJR), a classical prescription of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), has been clinically proven to be effective in ameliorating colorectal cancer (CRC). However, its exact mechanism of action is still elusive, limiting its clinical application and promotion to a certain extent. This study aims to evaluate the effect of XJR on CRC and further illustrate mechanism underlying its action.

Methods

We investigated the anti-tumor efficacy of XJR in vitro and vivo experiments. An integrated 16S rRNA gene sequencing and UPLC-MS based metabolomics approach were performed to explore possible mechanism of XJR anti-CRC on the gut microbiota and serum metabolic profiles. The correlation between altered gut microbiota and disturbed serum metabolites was investigated using Pearson's correlation analysis.

Results

XJR effectively displayed anti-CRC effect both in vitro and in vivo. The abundance of aggressive bacteria such as Bacteroidetes, Bacteroides, and Prevotellaceae decreased, while the levels of beneficial bacteria increased (Firmicutes, Roseburia, and Actinobacteria). Metabolomics analysis identified 12 potential metabolic pathways and 50 serum metabolites with different abundances possibly affected by XJR. Correlation analysis showed that the relative abundance of aggressive bacteria was positively correlated with the levels of Arachidonic acid, Adrenic acid, 15(S)-HpETE, DL-Arginine, and Lysopc 18:2, which was different from the beneficial bacteria.

Discussion

The regulation of gut microbiota and related metabolites may be potential breakthrough point to elucidate the mechanism of XJR in the treatment of the CRC. The strategy employed would provide theoretical basis for clinical application of TCM.

Metagenomic analysis reveals gut plasmids as diagnosis markers for colorectal cancer

Background

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is linked to distinct gut microbiome patterns. The efficacy of gut bacteria as diagnostic biomarkers for CRC has been confirmed. Despite the potential to influence microbiome physiology and evolution, the set of plasmids in the gut microbiome remains understudied.

Methods

We investigated the essential features of gut plasmid using metagenomic data of 1,242 samples from eight distinct geographic cohorts. We identified 198 plasmid-related sequences that differed in abundance between CRC patients and controls and screened 21 markers for the CRC diagnosis model. We utilize these plasmid markers combined with bacteria to construct a random forest classifier model to diagnose CRC.

Results

The plasmid markers were able to distinguish between the CRC patients and controls [mean area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC = 0.70)] and maintained accuracy in two independent cohorts. In comparison to the bacteria-only model, the performance of the composite panel created by combining plasmid and bacteria features was significantly improved in all training cohorts (mean AUC_composite = 0.804 and mean AUC_bacteria = 0.787) and maintained high accuracy in all independent cohorts (mean AUC_composite = 0.839 and mean AUC_bacteria = 0.821). In comparison to controls, we found that the bacteria-plasmid correlation strength was weaker in CRC patients. Additionally, the KEGG orthology (KO) genes in plasmids that are independent of bacteria or plasmids significantly correlated with CRC.

Conclusion

We identified plasmid features associated with CRC and showed how plasmid and bacterial markers could be combined to further enhance CRC diagnosis accuracy.

The Potential Antioxidant Activity and Characterization of Bioactive Compounds of Stahlianthus involucratus

Stahlianthus involucratus (S. involucratus) has anti-inflammatory, antinociceptive, and antipyretic activities; however, there are no literature reports on its antioxidant capacity. This study presents a comparative assessment of the polyphenols contents, flavonoids contents, and antioxidant activity of the aqueous and methanol extracts of S. involucratus (ASI and MSI). Moreover, the expression of oxidative stress-related genes in H₂O₂-induced H9c2 cells pretreated with the MSI was measured by RT-qPCR, and furthermore, MSI were characterized by UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap-MS/MS. The results indicated that the MSI had higher antioxidant contents and antioxidant capacity, and MSI could inhibit H₂O₂-induced oxidative stress in H9c2 cells by activating the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway. UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap-MS/MS characterized 15 phenolic compounds from the MSI. In conclusion, S. involucratus has the potential antioxidant capacity.

Shashen maidong decoction: the effect of TNF-α and IL-6 on lung cancer cachexia based on cancer toxicity theory

OBJECTIVE

To study the curative effect of the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) Shashen Maidong Decoction in treating lung cancer cachexia based on the cancer toxicity theory, and analyze its influence on patients' serum tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin 6 (IL-6).

METHODS

From January 2018 to January 2019, 104 patients with primary lung cancer cachexia diagnosed and treated in our hospital's oncology department were selected and randomly divided into experimental group and control group, with 52 cases in each group. The control group received routine treatment and nutritional support, while the experimental group received Shashen Maidong Decoction plus. Indexes were compared and analyzed before and after 4 weeks of treatment, including TCM syndrome score, Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA) score, Karnofsky score (KPS), albumin, prealbumin, TNF-α and IL-6 levels.

RESULTS

(1) After treatment, both groups' PG-SGA score, KPS score and TCM syndrome score were better than those before treatment (P < 0.01), and the experimental group's PG-SGA score, KPS score and TCM syndrome score were higher than those of the control group (P < 0.01). (2) After treatment, both groups' serum albumin and prealbumin levels were higher than those before treatment (P < 0.05), and the experimental group's prealbumin level was higher than that in the control group (P < 0.05). (3) After treatment, both groups' serum levels of TNF-α and IL-6 were lower than those before treatment (P < 0.05), and the experimental group's levels of TNF-α and IL-6 were lower than those in the control group (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Based on the cancer toxicity theory, the application of Shashen Maidong Decoction in treating lung cancer cachexia has definite therapeutic effects and important clinical values. It can effectively alleviate patients' symptoms, improve nutritional status, and reduce body's inflammatory response.

Influence of icariin on inflammation, apoptosis, invasion, and tumor immunity in cervical cancer by reducing the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB and Wnt/β-catenin pathways

Background

Cervical cancer is a type of the most common gynecology tumor in women of the whole world. Accumulating data have shown that icariin (ICA), a natural compound, has anti-cancer activity in different cancers, including cervical cancer. The study aimed to reveal the antitumor effects and the possible underlying mechanism of ICA in U14 tumor-bearing mice and SiHa cells.

Methods

The antitumor effects of ICA were investigated in vivo and in vitro. The expression of TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathways were evaluated.

Results

We found that ICA significantly suppressed tumor tissue growth and SiHa cells viability in a dose-dependent manner. Also, ICA enhanced the anti-tumor humoral immunity in vivo. Moreover, ICA significantly improved the composition of the microbiota in mice models. Additionally, the results clarified that ICA significantly inhibited the migration, invasion capacity, and expression levels of TGF-β1, TNF-α, IL-6, IL-17A, IL-10 in SiHa cells. Meanwhile, ICA was revealed to promote the apoptosis of cervical cancer cells by down-regulating Ki67, survivin, Bcl-2, c-Myc, and up-regulating P16, P53, Bax levels in vivo and in vitro. For the part of mechanism exploration, we showed that ICA inhibits the inflammation, proliferation, migration, and invasion, as well as promotes apoptosis and immunity in cervical cancer through impairment of TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB and Wnt/β-catenin pathways.

Conclusions

Taken together, ICA could be a potential supplementary agent for cervical cancer treatment.