Aim
Xihuang Wan (XHW), a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), has been used in China for a variety of cancers including lung cancer. The present study evaluated the efficacy of XHW on a Lewis lung mouse model and explored the potential mechanism via transcriptomics. Materials and
Conclusion
XHW inhibited LLC carcinoma through different pathways and shows clinical promise for patients who cannot tolerate platinum-based drugs.
Methods
The mice were randomized into 6 groups: 1) untreated control (n=10); 2) low-dose XHW; 3) medium-dose XHW; 4) high-dose XHW; 5) cisplatin; and 6) untreated blank (n=4). Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) cells were injected subcutaneously except for the 4 mice in the blank group. The body weight and tumor length and width were measured every 3 days. RNA-sequencing was performed on tumors in the high-dose XHW group and the control group.
Results
XHW inhibited the growth of LLC in a syngeneic mouse model, without toxicity, with equivalent efficacy to cisplatin. RNA-sequencing demonstrated that many signaling pathways were involved in XHW-mediated inhibition of LLC, including tumor necrosis factor, estrogen, cyclic guanosine 3', 5'-monophosphate-protein kinase G, apelin and the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor signaling pathways.