Anti-tumor effects of Abnormal Savda Munziq on the transplanted cervical cancer (U27) mouse model

Synergistic and Additive Effects of Herbal Medicines in Combination with Chemotherapeutics: A Scoping Review

BACKGROUND

Natural products are increasingly gaining interest as potential new drug candidates for cancer treatment. Herbal formula, which are combinations of several herbs, are primarily used in East Asia and have a long history of use that continues today. Recently, research exploring the combination of herbal formulas and chemotherapy for cancer treatment has been on the rise.

METHODS

This study reviewed research on the co-administration of herbal formulas and chemotherapy for cancer treatment. The databases PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library were used for article searches. The following keywords were employed: "Antineoplastic agents," "Chemotherapy," "Phytotherapy," "Herbal medicine," "Drug synergism," and "Synergistic effect." The selection process focused on studies that investigated the synergistic interaction between herbal formulas and chemotherapeutic agents.

RESULTS

Among the 30 studies included, 25 herbal formulas and 7 chemotherapies were used. The chemotherapy agents co-administered included cisplatin, 5-fluorouracil, docetaxel, doxorubicin, oxaliplatin, irinotecan, and gemcitabine. The types of cancer most frequently studied were lung, breast, and colon cancers. Most studies evaluating the anticancer efficacy of combined herbal formula and chemotherapy treatment were conducted in vitro or in vivo.

DISCUSSION

Most studies reported synergistic effects on cytotoxicity, apoptosis, and tumor growth inhibition. These effects were found to be associated with cell cycle arrest, anti-angiogenesis, and gene expression regulation. Further studies leading to clinical trials are required. Clinical experiences in East Asian countries could provide insights for future research.

ASMq protects against early burn wound progression in rats by alleviating oxidative stress and secondary mitochondria‑associated apoptosis via the Erk/p90RSK/Bad pathway

Burn wounds present an evolutionary progression, in which the initial wound tissue deepens and expands following thermal injury. Progressive tissue damage in the zone of stasis may worsen burn injury, which is associated with oxidative stress and secondary apoptosis, and worsen the prognosis of patients with burn wounds. The mitochondrial apoptotic pathway is involved in receiving oxidative signals and regulating tissue apoptosis. Previously, Abnormal Savda Munziq (ASMq), a natural compound of traditional Uyghur Medicine, which includes ten types of herb, has been reported to exhibit a number of effects, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidative and anti-apoptotic activities. The present study demonstrated that ASMq protected against early burn wound progression following thermal injury in rats; this effect may be mediated by its ability to attenuate oxidative stress-induced mitochondria-associated apoptosis. The present study may provide a novel therapeutic method to prevent early burn wound progression following burn injury.

Bioassay-guided Isolation of Flavonoids from Caesalpinia bonduc (L.) Roxb. and Evaluation of Their Cytotoxicity

Cancer is one of the most important causes of death all around the world. Screening plants and their secondary metabolites as cytotoxic agents is one of the common methods for identifying new compounds used in chemotherapy and inhibition cancer process. Caesalpinia bonduc (L.) Roxb. from the Fabaceae family was used for improving wound, fever, tumor, hydrocele, hernia, smallpox, toothache, inflammation, and as astringent, anthelmintic, antidiabetic, and antimalarial agent in traditional medicine. A bioassay-guided study of this species led to the isolation of three flavonoids. At first, the cytotoxicity of methanol extract of aerial parts (leaves and stems), seeds, and legumes of this plant was tested against MCF-7 and PC-3 by MTT assay. The methanol extract of legumes showed better inhibitory activities (IC50 < 500 µg/mL). As a result, this extract was selected for fractionation. In the next step, the ethyl acetate (EtOAc) fraction was selected for phytochemical analysis based on the inhibitory activity (IC50 = 170 ± 0.9 µg/mL). In this way, total phenol content (625 ± 7.2 GAE/g extract) and antioxidant activity (IC50 = 6.1 ± 0.3 µg/mL) was compared by BHT (IC50 = 13.5 ± 0.7 µg/mL). Finally, three compounds including, quercetin-3-methyl ether (1), kaempferol (2), and kaempferol-3-O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-1→2)-β-D-xylopyranoside (3) were isolated from EtOAc fraction, and all isolated compounds were tested for their cytotoxicity and compound 1 showed better inhibitory activity than other two compounds. This study suggests that Caesalpinia bonduc could be considered for further investigations as a natural source of biological compounds.