Kathuria I, Singla B. Anti-tumor efficacy of Calculus bovis: Suppressing liver cancer by targeting tumor-associated macrophages. World J Gastroenterol 2024; 30(38): 4249-4253 [DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v30.i38.4249]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Bhupesh Singla, MSc, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tennessee Health Science Center, 881 Madison Ave, Room 446, Memphis, TN 38103, United States. bsingla@uthsc.edu
Research Domain of This Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Article-Type of This Article
Letter to the Editor
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Gastroenterol. Oct 14, 2024; 30(38): 4249-4253 Published online Oct 14, 2024. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v30.i38.4249
Anti-tumor efficacy of Calculus bovis: Suppressing liver cancer by targeting tumor-associated macrophages
Ishita Kathuria, Bhupesh Singla
Ishita Kathuria, Bhupesh Singla, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38103, United States
Author contributions: Kathuria I contributed an outline of the manuscript and wrote the first draft of the manuscript; Singla B provided feedback, edited the text, and proofread the article.
Supported bythe National Institutes of Health grants, No. K99HL146954 and No. R00HL146954; and the UTHSC College of Pharmacy Research Seed Grant award, No. 2023.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Bhupesh Singla, MSc, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tennessee Health Science Center, 881 Madison Ave, Room 446, Memphis, TN 38103, United States. bsingla@uthsc.edu
Received: July 31, 2024 Revised: September 10, 2024 Accepted: September 18, 2024 Published online: October 14, 2024 Processing time: 59 Days and 17.3 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Calculus bovis, a traditional animal drug used in China, has been recognized for its therapeutic effects across various organ systems, including the central nervous, cardiovascular, respiratory, and digestive systems. Recent studies have also suggested its anti-tumor potential. While previous studies have explored the mechanisms of action of its active compounds, this study provides novel insights into its anti-tumor potential using a liver cancer xenograft model. M2 macrophages are associated with tumor progression because they promote tumor growth, angiogenesis, and metastasis while inhibiting effective anti-tumor immune responses. This study, for the first time, demonstrates that Calculus bovis modulates the tumor environment by governing M2-tumor-associated macrophages in a Wnt pathway-dependent manner, thereby suppressing tumor growth.
