Treatment Efficacy of Chuang Ling Ye, a Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine Compound, on Idiopathic Granulomatous Mastitis: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVE: To explore whether Chuang Ling Ye (CLY), a traditional Chinese herbal medicine compound, could improve the treatment of idiopathic granulomatous mastitis (IGM) via decreasing inflammatory response. METHODS: Herein, 40 patients with IGM who had wounds requiring dressing change were enrolled and randomly divided into two groups: the CLY group and the control group. The size of the neoplasm and pain score of patients were followed-up for 4 weeks. Local tissues were taken during dressing change and examined by commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits. The levels of inflammatory markers, including interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß), IL-2, IL-6, interferon gamma (IFN-γ), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were measured. RESULTS: After treatment, the size of the neoplasm in the CLY group was significantly smaller than that in the control group (14.28 cm ± 8.96 cm vs. 21.14 cm ± 0.12 cm, P=0.038), and the pain scores were markedly reduced (P=0.004). Besides, CLY downregulated the expression levels of IL-1ß, IFN-γ, and TNF-α. CONCLUSION: External use of CLY could reduce the neoplasm of IGM by inhibiting local inflammation. This trial is registered with ChiCTR1800017744.

Effects of Astragaloside IV on treatment of breast cancer cells execute possibly through regulation of Nrf2 via PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has from ancient times been applied in China for the treatment of breast cancer with its own unique theoretical system. Sanhuang decoction composed of astragalus membranaceus, prepared rhubarb, and rhizoma curcumae longae has traditionally been used for antioxidant stress, inflammatory reaction, and angiogenesis. However, the role and mechanism of Sanhuang decoction in breast cancer remains unknown. The present study demonstrated the antitumor activity of Sanhuang decoction against breast cancer xenografts in nude mice. Notably, Sanhuang decoction promoted severe necrosis and induced cell death. In addition, Sanhuang decoction obviously regulated the inflammation and oxidative stress. Despite these, Sanhuang decoction could increase the expression of Nrf2. Moreover, si-Nrf2 exhibited the opposite effects compared with the Sanhuang decoction treatment group and reversed the antibreast cancer role of Sanhuang decoction. Further, Sanhuang decoction remarkably suppressed the expression of PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway. Taken together, Sanhuang decoction was firstly evaluated to possess potent antibreast cancer effect in vivo through regulation of inflammation and oxidative stress accomplished by up-regulation of Nrf2 via PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway and Sanhuang decoction might be a powerful candidate formula for antibreast cancer.

The Traditional Chinese Medicine Kangai Injection as an Adjuvant Method in Combination with Chemotherapy for the Treatment of Breast Cancer in Chinese Patients: A Meta-Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The traditional Chinese medicine Kangai injection as an adjuvant method in combination with chemotherapy has been widely used for treating breast cancer in clinical practice in China. This study systematically reviewed the clinical effect and safety of traditional Chinese medicine Kangai injection as an adjuvant method in combination with chemotherapy for treating Chinese patients with breast cancer. METHODS: Seven databases were searched in this study, namely, PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Embase, CNKI, Sino Med, VIP, and Wanfang Data. The timeframe of retrieval was set from the founding date of each database to November 1, 2017. RESULTS: Fifteen papers were included in this study. The quality of all the studies included was low. All the studies were carried out among the Chinese population. Meta-analyses showed that, compared with single-use chemotherapy, using a Kangai injection combined with chemotherapy to treat Chinese breast cancer patient can increase the total effective rate [RR = 1.15, 95% CI (1.01, 1.32), and P = 0.033], improve the quality of life [RR = 1.30, 95% CI (1.14, 1.48), and P ≤ 0.001], decrease the incidence of weight loss [RR = 0.49, 95% CI (0.32, 0.77), and P = 0.002], decrease WBC count [RR = 0.78, 95% CI (0.68, 0.89), and P ≤ 0.001], decrease incidence of renal and liver dysfunction [RR = 0.58, 95% CI (0.46, 0.73), and P ≤ 0.001], and decrease cardiac dysfunction [RR = 0.41, 95% CI (0.18, 0.94), and P = 0.035]. For the incidence of gastrointestinal adverse reactions [RR = 0.89, 95% CI (0.65, 1.21), and P = 0.452], decreased platelet count [RR=0.49, 95% CI (0.18, 1.30), and P = 0.150], and alopecia [RR = 1.01, 95% CI (0.89, 1.14), and P = 0.879], these two groups showed no statistically significant differences. CONCLUSION: Kangai injection as an adjuvant method in combination with chemotherapy for treating Chinese breast cancer patients can improve their life quality and physical conditions and reduce the adverse reactions that result from chemotherapy. However, the present conclusion is only suitable for the Chinese population. The long-term, high-quality researches are required to further verify the above conclusions.

Development and Evaluation of a Patient-Reported Outcome (PRO) Scale for Breast Cancer.

BACKGROUND: This study was guided by principles of the theoretical system of evidence-based medicine. In particular, when searching for evidence of breast cancer, a measuring scale is an instrument for evaluating curative effects in accordance with the laws and characteristics of medicine and exploring the establishment of a system for medically assessing curative effects. At present, there exist few tools for evaluating curative effects. Patient- reported outcomes (PROs) refer to outcomes directly reported by patients (without input or explanations from doctors or other intermediaries) with respect to all aspects of their health. Data obtained from PROs provide evidence of treatment effects. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In accordance with the tenets of theoretical medicine and ancient medical theory regarding breast cancer, principles for developing a PRO scale were established, and a theoretical model was developed and a literature review was performed, items from this pool were combined and split, and an initial scale was constructed. After a pilot survey and additional modifications, a pre-questionnaire scale was formed and used in a field investigation. After the application of statistical methods, the item pool was used to create a formal scale. The reliability, validity and feasibility of this formal scale were then assessed. RESULTS: In a clinical investigation, 479 responses were recovered, with an acceptance rate of 95%. a combination of various methods was employed, and the items that were selected by all methods or more than half of the methods were employed in the questionnaire. In these cases, the screening methods were combined with certain features of the item, A total of four domains and 38 items were reserved. The reliability analysis indicated that the PRO scale was relatively reliable. CONCLUSIONS: Scientific assessment proved that the proposed scale exhibited good reliability and validity. This scale was readily accepted and could be used to assess the curative effects of medical therapy. However, given the limited scope of this investigation, the capacity for adapting this scale to incorporate other theories could not be determined.

Curdione inhibits proliferation of MCF-7 cells by inducing apoptosis.

BACKGROUND: Curdione, one of the major components of Curcuma zedoaria, has been reported to possess various biological activities. It thus might be a candidate anti-flammatory and cancer chemopreventive agent. However, the precise molecular mechanisms of action of curdione on cancer cells are still unclear. In this study, we investigated the effect of curdione on breast cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Xenograft nude mice were used to detect the effect of curdione on breast cancer in vivo; we also tested the effect of curdione on breast cancer in vitro by MTT, Flow cytometry, JC-I assay, and western blot. RESULTS: Firstly, we found that curdione significantly suppressed tumor growth in a xenograft nude mouse breast tumor model in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, curdione treatment inhibited cell proliferation and induced cell apoptosis. Moreover, after curdione treatment, increase of impaired mitochondrial membrane potential occurred in a concentration dependent manner. Furthermore, the expression of apoptosis-related proteins including cleaved caspase-3, caspase-9 and Bax was increased in curdione treatment groups, while the expression of the anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 was decreased. Inhibitors of caspase-3 were used to confirm that curdione induced apoptosis. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, our observations first suggested that curdione inhibited the proliferation of breast cancer cells by inducing apoptosis. These results might provide some molecular basis for the anti-cancer activity of curdione.