Inhibitory effect of Daesungki-Tang on the invasiveness potential of hepatocellular carcinoma through inhibition of matrix metalloproteinase-2 and -9 activities.

Daesungki-Tang (DST), a drug preparation consisting of four herbs, that is, Rhei radix et rhizoma (RR; the roots of Rheum coreanum Nakai, Daehwang in Korean), Aurantiii frutus immaturus (AFI; immature fruits of Poncirus trifolita Rafin., Jisil in Korean), Magnoliae cortex (MC; the stem bark of Magnolia officinalis Rehd. Et Wils., Hubak in Korean), and Mirabilite (MS; Matrii sulfas, Mangcho in Korean), is a traditional Korean herbal medicine that is widely used in the treatment of cancer metastasis, gastrointestinal complaints, vascular disorders, and atherosclerosis-related disorders. In this study, water extracts of DST and each of the four ingredient herbs were prepared. The extracts were tested for cytotoxic activity on human hepatocellular carcinoma cells, Hep3B cells using the XTT assay method. The inhibitory effect of the extracts on the invasion of Hep3B cells was also tested using matrigel precoated transwell chambers. DST effectively inhibited the invasion of Hep3B cells, compared with the control groups in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, a gelatin zymography assay showed that DST decreased the gelatinolytic activity of matrix metalloproteinases-2 (MMP-2; IC50 = 87 microg/ml) and -9 (MMP-9; IC50 = 75 microg/ml) that are secreted from Hep3B cells, respectively. Among the four herbal ingredients of DST, only MC has been shown to significantly inhibit the invasion of Hep3B cells and MMP-2 and -9 activities. From these results, it can be concluded that DST has some potential for use as an antitumor agent.