β-elemene enhances anticancer and anti-metastatic effects of osteosarcoma of ligustrazine in vitro and in vivo.

The present study aimed to determine the anticancer effects of the combination of β-elemene and ligustrazine in vitro as well as in in vivo. Following evaluation using an MTT assay, β-elemene, ligustrazine and the β-elemene-ligustrazine combination treatments all exhibited the capacity to inhibit the growth of OS-732 cells, with inhibitory rates of 43.3, 54.4, and 75.0%, respectively. Using a flow cytometry assay, it was determined that the β-elemene-ligustrazine combination possessed the highest apoptotic rate (30.6%). Furthermore, β-elemene-ligustrazine combination treatment resulted in the highest downregulation of G protein-coupled receptor 124, vascular endothelial growth factor, matrix metallopeptidase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9 mRNA, and protein expression levels. In addition, the combined treatment led to an increase in the mRNA and protein expression of endostatin, TIMP metallopeptidase inhibitor (TIMP)-1 and TIMP-2 in OS-732 cells. Additionally, β-elemene-ligustrazine caused a decrease in nuclear factor-κB, interleukin-8, C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 4 and urokinase-type plasminogen activator mRNA expression, as well as an increase in caspase-3, caspase-8, and caspase-9 mRNA expression. In vivo, the β-elemene-ligustrazine combination was able to reduce the weight and the bulk of the tumor in BALB/c-nu/nu nude mice compared with any other group. All the results described above regarding changes to mRNA and protein expression were further confirmed in vivo in the tumor tissue of mice. The results of the present study have suggested that the combination of β-elemene-ligustrazine exhibits greater anticancer effects compared with β-elemene- or ligustrazine-alone treatment.