In vivo antitumor effect of Chinese yam extract combined with DC-CIK on nude mice bearing colon cancer HT29 stem cells

Wen-Wen SUN

ABSTRACT

Objective:

To compare the therapeutic effects of different treatments on the nude mice bearing colon cancer HT29 cells.

Methods:

BalB/C nude mice colon cancer stem cell model was established and the mice were randomly divided into following four groups blank control group, DC-CIK group, yam group, and yam combined with DC-CIK group (combined treatment group), each group of 10 nude mice. In DC-CIK group and combined treatment group, after tumor stem cells were inoculated in nude mice for 4 d, 1 × 106 DC-CIK cells were used through the tail vein injection for treatment, twice a week for three weeks. The mice in Chinese yam group and combined treatment group were ig administered with 125 mg/kg Chinese yam extract, once daily for three weeks, and the mice in control group were treated with equal volume of saline instead. Tumor size and body weight of nude mice were measured every 2 d during treatment for three weeks in each group. After the treatment, the nude mice were sacrificed to take out the tumor weight and the tumor inhibitory rate was calculated. The RT-PCR method was used to detect the expression levels of the key genes in signal pathway.

Results:

After treatment, the quality of tumor in yam group, DC-CIK group and combined treatment group was significantly lower than that in control group. Among them, the inhibitory rate was 51.26% in combined treatment group. In the changes of expression levels of key genes in signaling pathway, the key genes of PI3KR1 in PI3K/Akt pathway, the key gene of Wnt1 in Wnt/beta-catenin pathway, and the mRNA expression of key gene Notch1 in Notch pathway in combined treatment group were decreased compared with DC-CIK group and yam group. Compared with the DC-CIK group, the mRNA expression changes were not statistically significant.

Conclusion:

The effect of Chinese yam combined with DC-CIK group is the best on the treatment of HT29 cell stem cell tumor of colon cancer in nude mice. It provides a new idea for clinical treatment of colon cancer.