Sophora flavescens Containing-QYJD Formula Activates Nrf2 Anti-Oxidant Response, Blocks Cellular Transformation and Protects Against DSS-Induced Colitis in Mouse Model.

Qu-Yu-Jie-Du decoction (QYJD) is a commercially available traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). It is an aqueous extract of a Chinese herbal formula primarily consisting of eight TCM herbs: Taraxacum campylodes G.E. Haglund, Coix lacryma-jobi L., Smilax glabra Roxb., Sanguisorba officinalis L, Styphnolobium japonicum (L.) Schott, Prunus persica (L.) Batsch, Sophora flavescens Aiton, and Eupolyphaga sinensis Walker. Matrine and oxymatrine are two of the major phytochemical constituents of QYJD. Inflammation and oxidative stress are strongly associated with colon carcinogenesis. Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common type of cancer. Therefore, cancer chemopreventive agents targeting CRC are urgently needed. This study was conducted to investigate the potential anticancer effects and the underlying mechanisms of QYJD and its active constituents, matrine and oxymatrine, in human colon cancer HT29 cells and in a dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis mouse model. QYJD and matrine effectively inhibited the proliferation and anchorage-independent growth of HT29 cells in a dose-dependent manner. QYJD and matrine also induced an Nrf2-mediated anti-oxidant response element-luciferase activity and upregulated the Nrf2-mediated anti-oxidative stress genes HO-1 and NQO1 at both the mRNA and protein levels. In the DSS-induced colitis mouse model, QYJD reduced the disease activity index (DAI) and alleviated colonic shortening. Elevated Nrf2 and HO-1 mRNA levels were also observed in QYJD-treated mice. These findings showed that QYJD could elicit anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative stress response in vitro in a cell line and in vivo in a DSS-induced colitis mouse model. These responses may contribute to the overall anticolon cancer effect of QYJD.