Synergistic cytotoxic effects of a combined treatment of a Pinellia pedatisecta lipid-soluble extract and cisplatin on human cervical carcinoma in vivo

Abstract

Herbal medicines are known to have numerous benefits, including lower toxicity and fewer side effects than traditional chemotherapeutic drugs. In traditional Chinese medicine, the rhizome of Pinellia pedatisecta (PE) Schott has long been used to treat cancer, undiagnosed swelling and erythema toxicum. However, its medical benefits lack support from scientific evidence. A novel lipid-soluble extract from PE has been previously verified to enhance the cytotoxicity of cis-dichlorodiammineplatinum-II (CDDP) against human cervical cancer cells in vitro. The present study evaluated the synergistic cytotoxic effects of PE and CDDP against human cervical cancer. Combination therapy of PE with CDDP exhibited synergistic cytotoxicity towards CaSki cell growth in mouse xenograft tumors. PE exhibited a cytotoxic effect on tumor size and weight, although the inhibitory ratio of tumor weight was only 26.3% in the PE-treated group. However, when mice were co-treated with PE and CDDP, the inhibitory ratio was higher than that of mice treated with CDDP alone (50.8 vs. 68.4%, respectively). The potential synergistic mechanism was likely via inhibiting the signaling E6/p53 pathway, restoring p53 function and inducing downstream tumor suppressor chain effects on apoptosis. Western blot analysis and immunohistochemistry indicated thatE6protein expression was significantly decreased upon treatment with combined PE and CDDP. The expression of p53 was increased in the combined PE and CDDP treatment group. Upregulation of p53-dependent apoptosis-associated proteins, including Bcl-2-associated X protein and cleaved caspases-9 and −3, was observed in the combined PE and CDDP treatment group. Our results present a molecular basis for the future application of the combination of PE and CDDP in the treatment of cervical cancer as a novel and pharmacologically safe chemotherapeutic strategy.

Stimulating Antimicrobial Activity in Aspirin with Psidium guajava and Syzygium aromaticum Extracts against Multi-drug Resistant Salmonella Spp: A Comparative Study of Multiple Combinations

“…In developed countries, active component extracted from plant sources, isolated and purified were estimated at one fourth of all prescribe drugs, 11 Herbal medicines are known to have numerous benefits, including lower toxicity and fewer side effects than traditional chemotherapeutic drugs. 12 Another important issue is the idea of synergistic interactions between drugs and chemicals in the biomedical world for over a century. Some complex diseases, especially cancer, are being treated with various drug cocktails, understanding the interactions among these drugs is increasingly vital to ensuring successful treatment regimens.…”

Adjunctive Chinese Herbal Medicine Treatment is Associated With an Improved Survival Rate in Patients With Cervical Cancer in Taiwan: A Matched Cohort Study

“…Therefore, the potential for selection bias could be minimized due to the real-world data assessed from the NHI program. Moreover, most previous studies of the utilization of CHM in cervical cancer focused on either the effects of the specific herbs [25][26][27] or formulas 28 in vitro and in vivo. The comprehensive benefits of complementary Chinese herbal medicine use among patients with cervical cancer have rarely been reported.…”

Stimulating Antimicrobial Activity in Acetylsalicylic Acid (Aspirin) with Psidium guajava and Syzygium aromaticum Extracts against Multi-drug Resistant Salmonella Spp: A Comparative Study of Multiple Combinations.

“…10 For millennia, extracts from plants has been in use for the treatment of various infections and diseases, in developed countries, active component extracted from plant sources, isolated and purified were estimated at one fourth of all prescribe drugs, 11 Herbal medicines are known to have numerous benefits, including lower toxicity and fewer side effects than traditional chemotherapeutic drugs. 12 Another important issue is the idea of synergistic interactions between drugs and chemicals in the biomedical world for over a century. Some complex diseases, especially cancer, are being treated with various drug cocktails, understanding the interactions among these drugs is increasingly vital to ensuring successful treatment regimens.…”