Anti-breast cancer effects and mechanisms of Xihuang pill on human breast cancer cell lines

作者：Pan, Guofeng; Wang, Wandan; Wang, Lan; Zhang, Fangbo; Yin, Xiaojie; Wang, Jianlu; Liang, Rixin^*

来源：Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2013, 33(6): 770-778.

DOI：10.1016/S0254-6272(14)60011-X

• Breast neoplasms
• Inhibitor of apoptosis proteins
• Cell cycle
• Apoptosis
• Estrogen receptor alpha
• Xihuang pill

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the anti-breast cancer (BC) effects and mechanisms of action of Xihuang pill (XHP) by conducting in vitro experiments on human BC cell lines.
METHODS: Two human BC cell lines (MCF-7 and MDA- MB231) were cultured and treated with XHP Cell viability was detected using the 3-(4, 5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Flow cytometry was used to measure the cell cycle and apoptosis. The cell cycle was analyzed with propidium iodide staining. Apoptosis was evaluated using the Annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate/propidium iodide method. Western blotting was used to analyze the expression of estrogen receptor (ER)-alpha and ER-beta.
RESULTS: XHP had growth-inhibitory effects on MCF-7 and MDA-MB231 cells with a half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 10.14 mg/mL (MCF-7) and 8.98 mg/rriL (MDA-MB231). Apoptosis was induced to some extent. Certain changes in the ER were caused. Upregulation of ER-a protein was found in MCF-7 cells. ER-beta expression in MDA-MB231 cells was increased. Cell-cycle arrest was not observed in the two BC cell lines. ER-beta expression in MCF-7 cells was unchanged. No ER-alpha expression was shown in MDA-MB231 cells.
CONCLUSION: These data suggest that XHP can affect cell viability and cause apoptosis, but that the cell cycle is not blocked. XHP has a certain impact on ER expression, but its mechanisms of action of anti-BC effects may not be due to regulation of ER expression.

• 出版日期2013-12-15
• 单位中国中医科学院; 首都医科大学