An herbal formula,CGX,exerts hepatotherapeutic effects on dimethylnitrosamine-induced chronic liver injury model in rats

AIM： To evaluate the therapeutic effect of Chunggan extract （CGX）, a modified traditional Chinese hepatotherapeutic herbal, on the dimethylnitrosamine （DMN）-induced chronic liver injury model in rats. METHODS： Liver injuries were induced in Wistar rats by injection of DMN （ip, 10 mg/mL per kg） for 3 consecutive days per week for 4 wk. The rats were administered with CGX Coo, 100 or 200 mg/kg per day） or distilled water as a control daily for 4 wk starting from the 15^th d of the DMN treatment. Biochemical parameters （serum albumin, bilirubin, ALP, AST and ALT）, lipid peroxides, hydroxyproline, as well as histological changes in liver tissues were analyzed. In addition, gene expression of TNF-α, TGF-β, TIMP-1, TIMP-2, PDGF-β, and MMP-2, all of which are known to be associated with liver fibrosis, were analyzed using real-time PCR. RESULTS： CGX administration restored the spleen weight to normal alter having been increased by DMN treatment. Biochemical analysis of the serum demonstrated that CGX significantly decreased the serum level of ALP （P 〈 0.05）, ALT （P 〈 0.02）, and AST （P 〈 0.02） that had been elevated by DMN treatment. CGX administration moderately lowered lipid peroxide production and markedly lowered hydroxyproline generation caused by DMN treatment in accordance with histopathological examination. DMN treatment induced a highly upregulated expression of TNF-α, TGF-β,TIMP-1, TIMP-2, PDGF-β, and MMP-2. Of these, the gene expression encoding PDGF-β and MMP-2 was still further enhanced 2 wk after secession of the 4-wk DMN treatment, and was remarkably ameliorated by CGX administration. CONCLUSION： CGX exhibits hepatotherapeutic properties against chronic hepatocellular destruction and consequential liver fibrosis.

朝鲜白头翁、人参和甘草的复合水提物的抗血管生成作用(英文)

目的:本研究旨在证实朝鲜白头翁、人参和甘草的复合水提物(water extract ofPulsatillakoreana(Yabe ex Nakai)Nakai ex T.Mori.,PanaxginsengC.A.Meyer andGlycyrrhizauralensisFisch,WEPPG)的抗血管生成作用。方法:使用纤维母细胞生长因子致血管生成的人类脐静脉内皮细胞模型衡量细胞的增殖、黏附及迁移,同时进行细管形成实验及纤维母细胞生长因子致鸡胚绒毛尿囊膜血管生成实验检测WEPPG的抗血管生成作用。结果:WEPPG能够显著抑制纤维母细胞生长因子所致血管生成的人类脐静脉内皮细胞的增殖、黏附及迁移。信号蛋白分析显示多种蛋白表达变化,如细胞周期素A、p63、KIP2的上调及nibrin蛋白和黏着斑激酶的下调。与对照组相比,WEPPG显著减少了鸡胚绒毛尿囊膜血管生成。结论:本研究的结果证实了WEPPG的抗血管生成作用,这可能是这种药物具有抗癌功效的原因之一。

Prospective Analysis on Survival Outcomes of Nonsmall Cell Lung Cancer Stages over Ⅲb Treated with HangAm-Dan

Background and objective Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) stages over IIIb still remain as an intractable disease.Survival rate of NSCLC stages over IIIb could be increased through chemotherapy and radiation,but results are not satisfactory.Oriental medicine herbal formula,HangAm-Dan (HAD) has been developed for anti-tumor purpose and several previous studies have already reported its effects.The aim of this study is to assess HAD's efficacy on prolonging the survival rate of NSCLC stages over IIIb.Methods We have administered 3 000 mg of HAD daily to patients.The study included 74 first visit patients of East-West Cancer Center (EWCC) from November 2007 to April 2008,diagnosed with inoperable NSCLC stages over IIIb.Among them,30 patients were in HAD group and 44 patients were in combined group with conventional therapy and HAD.We have observed and analyzed their overall survival.Results Of total 74 patients,overall 1 year,2 year survival rates and the median survival time were 62.1%,34.9% and 17.0 months (95%CI: 12.9-21.1).NSCLC stage IIIb patients showed higher survival rates than NSCLC stage IV patients (P=0.408).The 1 year,2 year survival rates and the median survival time of the combined group were 70.5%,37.9% and 20.0 months (95%CI: 16.4-24.6).In HAD group,the 1 year,2 year survival rates and the median survival time were 50.0%,25.7% and 12.0 months (95%CI: 6.6-17.4).The combined therapy group showed higher survival rates than the HAD group (P=0.034).Each groups treated with HAD for more than 4 weeks showed higher survival rates than those treated for less than 4 weeks,but there was no significant difference (P=0.278).In hazard ratio,the combined therapy group showed lower mortality rate than the HAD group with statistical significance (P=0.040).Conclusion HAD could prolong the survival rate of inoperable NSCLC stages over IIIb.HAD is more effective when combined with conventional therapy.In the future,more controlled clinical trials with larger sample in multi-centers are needed to reevaluate the efficacy and safety of HAD.Keywords Lung neoplasms; HangAm-Dan; Oriental medicine; Overall survival rate; Cancer; Herb Abstract Background and objective Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) stages over IIIb still remain as an intractable disease.Survival rate of NSCLC stages over IIIb could be increased through chemotherapy and radiation,but results are not satisfactory.Oriental medicine herbal formula,HangAm-Dan (HAD) has been developed for anti-tumor purpose and several previous studies have already reported its effects.The aim of this study is to assess HAD's efficacy on prolonging the survival rate of NSCLC stages over IIIb.Methods We have administered 3 000 mg of HAD daily to patients.The study included 74 first visit patients of East-West Cancer Center (EWCC) from November 2007 to April 2008,diagnosed with inoperable NSCLC stages over IIIb.Among them,30 patients were in HAD group and 44 patients were in combined group with conventional therapy and HAD.We have observed and analyzed their overall survival.Results Of total 74 patients,overall 1 year,2 year survival rates and the median survival time were 62.1%,34.9% and 17.0 months (95%CI: 12.9-21.1).NSCLC stage IIIb patients showed higher survival rates than NSCLC stage IV patients (P=0.408).The 1 year,2 year survival rates and the median survival time of the combined group were 70.5%,37.9% and 20.0 months (95%CI: 16.4-24.6).In HAD group,the 1 year,2 year survival rates and the median survival time were 50.0%,25.7% and 12.0 months (95%CI: 6.6-17.4).The combined therapy group showed higher survival rates than the HAD group (P=0.034).Each groups treated with HAD for more than 4 weeks showed higher survival rates than those treated for less than 4 weeks,but there was no significant difference (P=0.278).In hazard ratio,the combined therapy group showed lower mortality rate than the HAD group with statistical significance (P=0.040).Conclusion HAD could prolong the survival rate of inoperable NSCLC stages over IIIb.HAD is more effective when combined with conventional therapy.In the future,more controlled clinical trials with larger sample in multi-centers are needed to reevaluate the efficacy and safety of HAD.

Toxicological study of the hepatotherapeutic herbal formula,Chunggan extract,in beagle dogs

AIM: To evaluate the pharmaceutical safety of a Chinese herbal formula, Chunggan extract (CGX), traditionally prescribed as a hepatotherapeutic drug via systemic acute and subacute toxicological study. METHODS: Twenty male dogs and 20 female dogs were fed doses 50 times and 4 times greater than the clinically-recommended drug dosages in an acute and a subacute toxicological study, respectively. Adverse effects were examined by comparing the differences between normal and drug-administered groups using clinical signs, necropsies, histopathologic findings, haematology, urinalysis, and biochemical analysis. RESULTS: In the acute study no change in the body weight, diarrhoea, apetite, mortality rate and histopa- thology of major organs was observed in male or female dogs with a single administration of CGX at 5 g/kg. No drug-induced abnormalities at analysis of histopathology, haematology, urinalysis, and biochemistry were found with any dose of this drug. CONCLUSION: CGX is supposed to be very safe when used in a clinical application with a wide therapeutic index.

Effect of Meridian Massage for Cancer Related Fatigue

Objectives:The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of meridian massage in lessening the fatigue and improving both physical and mental quality of life of cancer patients.Settings and design:This study was conducted at the East-West Cancer Center at Daejeon University;Using a single-arm,waiting list and non-treatment control research de- sign,we compared the results of control group and to that of the experimental group.Materials and methods:From July 2,2007 to July 28,2007,eighteen eligible cancer patients were recruited to participate in the experiment.Modified Chalder Fatigue Scale(CFS),Visual Analogue Scale(VAS)and active oxygen level were measured before and after treatment for both control and experimental groups.Lying on their back or stomach inside a room with a temperature of 18-22℃,the pa- tients received 30 minutes of meridian massages mainly around the trapezius muscles 5 times a week. Statistical analysis used:Data analysis was carried out using independent t-test,paired t-test and One-way ANOVA. Results:Data analysis of modified CFS showed statistically significant results for all groups between before and after treat- ment.Within CFS,results of physical and psychological analysis showed significant results for all groups except before and after no treatment and secondary treatment.In the analysis of VAS,the experimental group showed a greater decrease in score compared to that of the control group and the average difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).Although the results were not statistically significant(P>0.05),active oxygen levels for the control group showed little difference before and after no treatment(331.11 and 330.78,respectively)while the experimental group observed a decrease in active oxygen level before and after treatment(327.28 and 314.11,respectively).Conclusion:In conclusion,patients who received meridian massage showed decreased cancer related fatigue scores compared to the control.These results suggest that meridian massage may alleviate cancer-related fatigue and contribute to the improvement in quality of life among cancer patients.

Anti-Proliferative Effects of Ginsenosides Extracted from Mountain Ginseng on Lung Cancer

Objective： To investigate the effect of three major ginsenosides from mountain ginseng as anti- cancer substance and explore the underlying mechanism involved in lung cancer. Methods： The inhibitory proliferation of lung cancer by major five ginsenosides （Rbl, Rb2, Rgl, Rc, and Re） was examined using 3-（4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl）-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide assay. Calculated 50% inhibition （IC50） values of five ginsenosides were determined and compared each other. Apoptosis by the treatment of single ginsenoside was performed by fluorescence-assisted cytometric spectroscopy. The alterations of apoptosis-related proteins were evaluated by Western blot analysis. Results： The abundance of ginsenosides in butanol extract of mountain ginseng （BX-MG） was revealed in the order of Rbl, Rgl, Re, Rc and Rb2. Among them, Rbl was the most effective to lung cancer cell, followed by Rb2 and Rgl on the basis of relative IC50 values of IMR90 versus A549 cell. The alterations of apoptotic proteins were confirmed in lung cancer A549 cells according to the administration of Rbl, Rb2 and Rgl. The expression levels of caspase-3 and caspase-8 were increased upon the treatment of three ginsenosides, however, the levels of caspase-9 and anti-apoptotic protein Bax were not changed. Conclusion： Major ginsenosides such as Rbl, Rb2 and Rgl comprising BX-MG induced apoptosis in lung cancer cells via extrinsic apoptotic pathway rather than intrinsic mitochondrial pathway.

Survival Analysis of Stage Ⅳ Metastatic Gastric Cancer Patients Treated with HangAm-Plus

Objective：To evaluate the efficacy of HangAm-Plus（HAP）on stageⅣmetastatic gastric cancer by analyzing the treated patients’overall survival outcome.Methods：Following the study eligibility,overall survival and one year survival rate of 44 stageⅣmetastatic gastric cancer patients who visited EastWest Cancer Center（EWCC）were analyzed.The study consisted of two arms：HAP treatment only（n=18）and combined treatment of concurrent conventional chemotherapy and HAP（n=26）.Patient characteristics by gender,age,surgical intervention,Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group（ECOG）score,treatment duration（〈4 weeks or≥4 weeks）,and lines of the chemotherapy received were assessed.Treatment related side effects were also assessed.Results：The median survival of combined group was longer（10.0 months）than that of HAP group（5.1 months）.One-year survival rate of combined treatment group and HAP group was 38.5%±9.5%and 33.3%±11.1%,respectively（P〉0.05）.One-year survival rate of those received more and less than 4-week treatment was 57.1%±18.7%and 8.3%±8.0%,respectively（P=0.001）.Conclusions：The study supports the safety and potential efficacy of HAP treatment in prevention of chemo-related side effects for stageⅣmetastatic gastric cancer treated with conventional chemotherapy.Further studies are needed to investigate and confirm the results before applying the treatment in clinical settings.

An Overview of Current Oriental Medicine Herbal Cancer Research in Korea

Cancer is the number one cause of death in Korea with annual mortalities of 69 780.Research suggests one in every four Koreans will end up getting cancer at some point in their life time.With these persistent threats,strive for cancer cure is continued. Ten years of Korea＇s oriental medicine herbal research on cancer have been reviewed. Researches between the years of 2000 and 2010 are analyzed in terms of their published year,study types,tested subjects,testing measures,cancer types,and institutions.In the past ten years,cancer researches have blossomed from null to full in Korean peninsula, and further development is much anticipated in the next ten years to come.