Open AccessThe adjuvant value of Andrographis paniculata in metastatic esophageal cancer treatment – from preclinical perspectives
Author(s) -
Lin Li,
Grace GarLee Yue,
Julia Kin-Ming Lee,
Eric C. Wong,
KwokPui Fung,
Jun Yu,
Clara BikSan Lau,
Philip Wai Yan Chiu
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
scientific reports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.24
H-Index - 213
ISSN - 2045-2322
DOI - 10.1038/s41598-017-00934-x
Subject(s) - andrographis paniculata , medicine , esophageal cancer , mmp2 , adjuvant , in vivo , metastasis , cisplatin , cancer , cancer research , pharmacology , mmp9 , chemotherapy , oncology , traditional medicine , pathology , chemistry , biology , biochemistry , downregulation and upregulation , alternative medicine , microbiology and biotechnology , gene
Esophageal cancer (EC) is the fourth and sixth leading cause of cancer-related deaths in China and United States, respectively. The dismal prognosis of EC is mainly attributed to distant metastases, which may not be overcome by chemotherapy alone. Hence, the use of alternative adjuvant treatments, such as herbal medicines, for metastatic EC remains a great desire of patients. Our previous study demonstrated the in vivo anti-tumor and in vitro anti-invasion activities of Andrographis paniculata (AP) in esophageal cancer. In the present study, the chemical constituents of absorbed AP components through human intestinal Caco-2 cell monolayer were verified for the first time. The anti-migratory activities and suppressive effects on metastasis-related factors such as HER2, MMP2, MMP9, TM4SF3, CXCR4 of the absorbed AP components were revealed in esophageal cancer cells EC-109. The anti-tumor and anti-metastatic effects of AP water extract (1600 mg/kg) were further confirmed in metastatic esophageal xenograft-bearing mice. Besides, AP water extract acted synergistically with cisplatin plus 5-fluorouracil on inhibiting tumor nodule growth (with combination index <0.7). Meanwhile, chemotherapeutics-induced side-effects could also be reduced by AP water extract. The present findings provide evidence on safety and advantages of the combined use of AP with chemotherapeutics in pre-clinical setting.