背景:黄勤堂(HQT),中药配方,是临床上常用的炎症性肠病的治疗方法。据报道,HQT对结肠炎相关性结直肠癌(CAC)具有抗肿瘤作用。然而,HQT干扰炎症-癌症转化的机制尚不清楚.
目的:本研究的目的是动态评估HQT缓解或延迟CAC的功效,并揭示其潜在机制。
方法:我们使用偶氮甲烷结合1.5%葡聚糖硫酸钠建立了CAC的小鼠模型。根据病理切片和血清生化指标评价HQT的疗效。随后,氨基酸(AAs)代谢分析使用超高效液相色谱-串联质谱,免疫印迹法检测磷脂酰肌醇3激酶/蛋白激酶B/雷帕霉素机制靶标(PI3K/AKT/mTOR)通路。
结果:数据表明HQT可以缓解动物模型中CAC的发展。HQT有效降低炎症反应,特别是白细胞介素-6(IL-6),在炎症诱导阶段,以及在增殖启动和肿瘤发生阶段。在增殖启动和肿瘤发生阶段,免疫组化染色显示增殖标志物Ki67的表达降低,而HQT组细胞凋亡增加。因此,HQT显著降低了CAC结肠中特异性AAs的水平,包括谷氨酸,谷氨酰胺,精氨酸和异亮氨酸.此外,HQT显著抑制激活的PI3K/AKT/mTOR通路,这可能有助于抑制细胞增殖和增强细胞凋亡。
结论:HQT可有效缓解和延缓结肠“炎症到癌症”。其作用机制可能涉及HQT维持AAs代谢稳态和调节PI3K/AKT/mTOR通路,从而维持增殖和凋亡之间的平衡,进而干扰CAC的发生发展。
BACKGROUND: Huangqin Tang (HQT), a traditional Chinese medicine formula, is commonly used in clinical practice for the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases. It has been reported that HQT exerts antitumor effects on colitis-associated colorectal cancer (CAC). However, the mechanism by which HQT interferes with the inflammation-to-cancer transformation remains unclear.
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to dynamically evaluate the efficacy of HQT in alleviating or delaying CAC and to reveal the underlying mechanism.
METHODS: We established a mouse model of CAC using azoxymethane combined with 1.5% dextran sodium sulphate. The efficacy of HQT was evaluated based on pathological sections and serum biochemical indices. Subsequently, amino acids (AAs) metabolism analyses were performed using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, and the phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase/protein kinase B/mechanistic target of rapamycin (PI3K/AKT/mTOR) pathway was detected by western blotting.
RESULTS: The data demonstrated that HQT could alleviate the development of CAC in the animal model. HQT effectively reduced the inflammatory response, particularly interleukin-6 (IL-6), in the inflammation induction stage, as well as in the stages of proliferation initiation and tumorigenesis. During the proliferation initiation and tumorigenesis stages, immunohistochemistry staining showed that the expression of the proliferation marker Ki67 was reduced, while apoptosis was increased in the HQT group. Accordingly, HQT substantially decreased the levels of specific AAs in the colon with CAC, including glutamic acid, glutamine, arginine, and isoleucine. Furthermore, HQT significantly inhibited the activated PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, which may contribute to suppression of cell proliferation and enhancement of apoptosis.
CONCLUSIONS: HQT is effective in alleviating and delaying the colon \"inflammation-to-cancer\". The mechanism of action may involve HQT maintained AAs metabolism homeostasis and regulated PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, so as to maintain the balance between proliferation and apoptosis, and then interfere in the occurrence and development of CAC.