Aim Forsythia suspensa （Thunb.） Vahl, Lianqiao in Chinese, is one of the most fundamental herbs in traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） with heat-clearing and detoxicating properties. In this study, we aimed to study the antitumor activity of Lianqiao aqueous extract against melanoma using cancer cell line-based in vitro and mouse allografl tumor in vivo models. Furthermore, we also investigated the underlying molecular mechanisms, par- ticularly the involvement of anti-inflammation and anti-oxidation properties in its antitumor activity. Methods The proliferation of cancer cells was measured by MTT assay. The transplanted B16-F10 melanoma in C57BL/6 mice were established and used for the evaluation of in vivo antitumor effect of LQ. Tumor growth was monitored twice a week. Ki67 and CD31 were used to detect cancer cell proliferation and angiogenesis in tumor, respectively. The anti-oxidative property of LQ was determined by measuring the levels of ROS, MDA and GSH. The anti-inflamma- tory effect of LQ was evaluated by measuring TNF-α and IL-6 using ELISA kits. Other protein expression was deter- mined by Western Blot. Results LQ strongly inhibited the growth of B16-F10 cells in vitro and the tumor growth in vivo. The survival time of tumor-bearing mice was significantly prolonged by LQ. LQ inhibited cancer cell prolif- eration and angiogenesis in tumor as evidenced by decreased expressions of Ki67 and CD31. Levels of ROS, MDA TNF-α and IL-6 decreased, while GSH increased in LQ treatment group, indicating a strong anti-oxidative and an- ti-inflammatory activity of LQ. The expression of antioxidant proteins Nff-2 and HO-1, tumor suppressors P53 and p-PTEN, and the MAPK pathways in tumor tissues were upregulated by LQ treatment. Conclusions LQ exhibited strong antitumor activity against B16-F10 murine melanoma both in vitro and in vivo. The antitumor effect of LQ in- volved the decreased oxidative stress and inflammation in tumor, which is closely related to the heat-clearing and detoxicating properties of LQ.
展开▼
