OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects of classical traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions that function to promote blood circulation and removing blood stasis on the metastatic behavior of malignant tumors, and explore the possible mechanisms of such effects. METHODS: BALB/c mouse models of colonic adenocarcinoma with liver metastases were established by intrasplenic injection of colonic adenocarcinoma cells (CT26) to receive treatment with the three representative classical circulation-promoting and blood stasis-removing prescriptions of traditional Chinese medicine, namely Guizhifuling pills, Didang Tang and Danshenyin, respectively. The expressions of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT), p53, c-erbB-2 and Bcl-2 were detected in the mouse models with different treatments and in normal control mice. RESULTS: Tumor metastases of various degrees were observed in the mice after inoculation of the tumor cells. The expressions of hTERT, p53, c-erbB-2 and Bcl-2 in the models receiving treatment with either Didang Tang or Guizhifuling pills differed significantly from those of the untreated model group (P<0.05), whereas between Danshenyin group and the model group, only the expression of hTERT showed significant difference. CONCLUSION: Didang Tang and Guizhifuling pills can reduce the expressions of hTERT, p53, c- erbB-2 and Bcl-2, while Danshenyin can only reduce the expression of hTERT without similar effects on the other 3 oncogenes. Such inhibitory effects of the prescriptions on hTERT and the oncogenes might explain their actions to inhibit malignant tumor metastasis, which can be related to performance of the prescriptions in promoting circulation by removing blood stasis.
OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects of classical traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions that function to promote blood circulation and removing blood stasis on the metastatic behavior of malignant tumors, and explore the possible mechanisms of such effects. METHODS: BALB/c mouse models of colonic adenocarcinoma with liver metastases were established by intrasplenic injection of colonic adenocarcinoma cells (CT26) to receive treatment with the three representative classical circulation-promoting and blood stasis-removing prescriptions of traditional Chinese medicine, namely Guizhifuling pills, Didang Tang and Danshenyin, respectively. The expressions of humantelomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT), p53, c-erbB-2 and Bcl-2 were detected in the mouse models with different treatments and in normal control mice. RESULTS:Tumormetastases of various degrees were observed in the mice after inoculation of the tumor cells. The expressions of hTERT, p53, c-erbB-2 and Bcl-2 in the models receiving treatment with either Didang Tang or Guizhifuling pills differed significantly from those of the untreated model group (P<0.05), whereas between Danshenyin group and the model group, only the expression of hTERT showed significant difference. CONCLUSION: Didang Tang and Guizhifuling pills can reduce the expressions of hTERT, p53, c- erbB-2 and Bcl-2, while Danshenyin can only reduce the expression of hTERT without similar effects on the other 3 oncogenes. Such inhibitory effects of the prescriptions on hTERT and the oncogenes might explain their actions to inhibit malignant tumor metastasis, which can be related to performance of the prescriptions in promoting circulation by removing blood stasis.