RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the in vitro antitumor effects of Nidus Vespae on gastric cancer and its ability to promote immune function. METHODS: Cell viability was detected by the Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay. Cell cycle distribution and apoptosis were detected using flow cytometry. The THP-1 human monocytic cell line was used as a source of monocytic effector cells for analyzing proliferation and dendritic cell (DC) induction. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect cytokine production, and multicolor flow cytometry was used to study the phenotype and functionality of THP-1 DCs. RESULTS: A high concentration (>10 mg/mL) of Nidus Vespae decoction (NVD) inhibited SGC-7901 gastric cancer cell growth by inducing G2/M cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. However, a low concentration (≤10 mg/mL) of NVD significantly increased the proliferative ability of THP-1 in serum-containing medium and caused an increase in dendritic protrusions with the typical morphology of DCs compared to the negative control in serum-free medium. The THP-1 DCs had significantly increased expression of cluster of differentiation 11c (CD11c), CD40, CD80, CD83, and CD86, as well as secretion of tumor necrosis factor-alpha. Furthermore, the supernatant of THP-1 DCs significantly inhibited the proliferation of gastric cancer cells by inducing apoptosis and G1/S cell cycle arrest. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that NVD not only directly inhibits the growth of gastric cancer cells but also exerts indirect antitumor effects by enhancing immune function. These results provide an important theoretical basis for the clinical application of Nidus Vespae in gastric cancer treatment.
RESUMO
Nidus Vespae has been used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to treat various cancers, but the underlying mechanisms were not yet clarified. This study was to investigate the effect of Nidus Vespae decoction (NVD) on tumor cell viability and immunoregulating functions of human peripheral blood immune cells. The effects on tumor cell viability, peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) proliferation activity, and the tumor cell phagocytosis of monocytes were evaluated by cell counting kit-8. Tumor-killing activity of cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) was analyzed by (51)Cr releasing assay. IgG production of B cells and cytokine (TNF-α and IL-6) secretion of monocytes were determined by ELISA method. Data showed that NVD has no significant inhibiting effects on gastric cancer cells growth. Nevertheless, it could obviously promote PBMC proliferation in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. After treatment with NVD, the CTL cytotoxicity against SGC-7901 was significantly greater than control. The TNF-α and IL-6 secretion of monocytes and the IgG production of B cells also increased remarkably. Furthermore, NVD could significantly promote the phagocytosis of monocytes on tumor cells. These results suggest that NVD appears to have an immunoenhancing effect on immune cells, indicating that Nidus Vespae is worth exploring for immunomodulatory effects in tumor treatment.
RESUMO
The aim of the present study was to determine whether specific molecular parameters may serve as predictors of treatment outcomes and toxicity of oxaliplatin (OXA)based chemotherapy, which is used as an adjuvant treatment in resected gastric cancer. All gastric cancer patients examined in the study received an OXA/5fluorouracil chemotherapeutic regimen. Genetic polymorphisms of certain platinumrelated genes were determined by the TaqMan 5' nuclease assay and direct sequencing. Relapsefree survival (RFS), overall survival (OS) and toxicity were evaluated according to each genotype. Following adjustment for the most relevant clinical variables, excision repair crosscomplimentary group 1 (ERCC1)118 and X-ray repair cross-complementing protein 1 (XRCC1399) demonstrated significant predictive value for RFS and OS. We also demonstrated that carrying at least one variant XRCC1 Arg399Gln or glutathione S-transferase π 1 (GSTP1) Ile105Val allele significantly increased the risk of any grade 3 or 4 hematological toxicity. In particular, carrying at least one variant GSTP1 Ile105Val allele was also significantly correlated with an increased risk of grade 3 or 4 gastrointestinal toxicity and neurotoxicity. Our data suggested that gastric cancer patients harboring ERCC1118 C/C and XRCC1399 A/G or A/A genotypes may benefit from receiving OXAbased adjuvant chemotherapy, and carrying at least one variant XRCC1 Arg399Gln or GSTP1 Ile105Val allele may contribute to the occurrence of adverse drug effects associated with OXAbased chemotherapy.