Phase I and II Trial of Huanglian, A Novel Botanical Against Breast Cancer that Enhances Taxol Activity

摘要

Huanglian is a botanical agent prepared as a tea from the roots of Coptis chinensis. In traditional Chinese medicine it has been used to treat inflammatory conditions ranging from gastroenteritis to acute febrile illnesses with no reported toxicity. We tested huanglian for activity against cancer at MSKCC. We reported that huanglian potently inhibits the growth of a number cancer cells in vitro in a dose-dependent manner, with maximal inhibition at low micromolar concentrations (Li X. et al. Molecular Pharmacology, 58:1287- 1293, 2000). MCF-7 and MDA-468 breast cancer lines were particularly sensitive to huanglian. The activity of huanglian was greater than an equivalent concentration of its major component, berberine, suggesting that several components contribute to its anticancer effect. It was therefore decided to take whole huanglian to human trial, as a novel departure from the conventional approach in drug development in which a single agent activity against breast cancer cell lines, huanglian was also shown to enhance the effect of paclitaxel, supporting the future development of huanglian in combination with paclitaxel for the treatment of patients with metastatic breast cancer.