Basic Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Oncol. Sep 24, 2024; 15(9): 1198-1206
Published online Sep 24, 2024. doi: 10.5306/wjco.v15.i9.1198
Anti-inflammatory effects of Tao Hong Si Wu Tang in mice with lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Guo-Li Wang, Yan-Ling Xu, Ke-Ming Zhao, Ai-Feng Sui, Li-Na Wang, Hu Deng, Ge Wang
Guo-Li Wang, Yan-Ling Xu, Ai-Feng Sui, Li-Na Wang, Hu Deng, First Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine/Pulmonary Disease, The First Affiliated Hospital of Liaoning University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shenyang 110000, Liaoning Province, China
Ke-Ming Zhao, Second Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine/Pulmonary Disease, The First Affiliated Hospital of Liaoning University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shenyang 110000, Liaoning Province, China
Ge Wang, Department of Spleen and Stomach Oncology, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Liaoning University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shenyang 110101, Liaoning Province, China
Author contributions: Wang GL designed this study and drafted the manuscript; Wang GL and Xu YL performed the study; Xu YL, Zhao KM, Sui AF, Wang LN, Deng H, and Wang G reviewed and revised the manuscript; all authors proofread the manuscript.
Supported by Liaoning Province “Xingliao Talent Program” Project, No. XLYC2007019.
Institutional animal care and use committee statement: This study was approved by the Animal Core and Welfare Committee of Liaoning University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (approved No. 21000042020071).
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare no conflict of interest for this article.
Data sharing statement: No additional data are available.
ARRIVE guidelines statement: The authors have read the ARRIVE guidelines, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the ARRIVE guidelines.
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: Ge Wang, MSc, Associate Chief Physician, Department of Spleen and Stomach Oncology, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Liaoning University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No. 9 Xuesong Road, Sujiatun District, Shenyang 110101, Liaoning Province, China. 895125868@qq.com
Received: June 6, 2024
Revised: August 5, 2024
Accepted: August 7, 2024
Published online: September 24, 2024
Processing time: 83 Days and 21.6 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND

Lung cancer (LC) combined with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common combination of comorbidities. Anti-inflammation and modulation of oxidative/antioxidative imbalance may prevent COPD-induced LC, and are also crucial to the treatment of LC combined with COPD. Modern studies have shown that Tao Hong Si Wu Tang (THSW) has vasodilatory, anti-inflammatory, anti-fatigue, anti-shock, immunoregulatory, lipid-reducing, micronutrient-supplementing, and anti-allergy effects.

AIM

To observe the effects of THSW on COPD and LC in mice.

METHODS

A total of 100 specific pathogen-free C57/BL6 mice were randomly divided into five groups: Blank control group (group A), model control group (group B), THSW group (group C), IL-6 group (group D), and THSW + IL-6 group (group E), with 20 mice in each group. A COPD mouse model was established using fumigation plus lipopolysaccharide intra-airway drip, and an LC model was replicated by in situ inoculation using the Lewis cell method.

RESULTS

The blank control group exhibited a clear alveolar structure. The model control and IL-6 groups had thickened alveolar walls, with smaller alveolar lumens, interstitial edema, and several inflammatory infiltrating cells. Histopathological changes in the lungs of the THSW and THSW + IL-6 groups were less than those of the model control group. The serum IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α levels and IL-6R, JAK, p-JAK, STAT1/3, p-STAT1/3, FOXO, p-FOXO, and IL-7R expression levels in lung tissues of mice in the rest of the groups were significantly higher than those of the blank control group (P < 0.01). Compared with the model control group, the IL-6 group demonstrated significantly higher levels for the abovementioned proteins in the serum and lung tissues (P < 0.01), and the THSW group had significantly higher serum IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α levels and IL-7R expression levels in lung tissues (P < 0.01) but significantly decreased IL-6R, JAK, p-JAK, STAT1/3, p-STAT1/3, FOXO, p-FOXO, and IL-7R levels (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSION

THSW reduces the serum IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α levels in the mouse model with anti-inflammatory effects. Its anti-inflammatory mechanism lies in inhibiting the overactivation of the JAK/STAT1/3 signaling pathway.

Keywords: Tao Hong Si Wu Tang; Anti-inflammatory; Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; Lung cancer; Traditional Chinese medicine

Core Tip: The present study aimed to analyze the anti-inflammatory effects of Tao Hong Si Wu Tang (THSW) in a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease-lung cancer mouse model and elucidate its anti-inflammatory mechanism in inhibiting the development of positive-feedback inflammatory response by detecting the signaling pathway that may be induced by the inflammatory factors. The findings of this study will lay a theoretical foundation and provide a guide for the clinical application of THSW.