Yang-Dan-Tang, Identified from 15 Chinese Herbal Formulae, Inhibits Human Lung Cancer Cell Proliferation via Cell Cycle Arrest

Abstract

Lung cancer has long been one of the most deadly forms of cancer. The majority of lung cancers are of the non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) type. Here we used the non-small-cell lung carcinoma cell line A549 to screen 15 different traditional Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) formulae to explore the possible mechanisms of alternative medicine in lung cancer therapy. We identified three formulae (Formulae 3, 5, and 14) that substantially decreased the survival of A549 cells but did not affect MRC5 normal lung tissue cells. Formula 14, Yang-Dan-Tang, a modified decoction of Ramulus Cinnamomi Cassiae, was chosen for further characterization. Flow cytometry analysis showed that treatment of Formula 14 induced cell cycle arrest in G1 and G2 phase without causing significant cell death. These results were also confirmed by Western blot analysis, with decreased expression of G1/S and G2/M promoting cell cycle machinery including cyclin D3, cyclin B1, CDK4, and CDK6. This study provides further insight into the possible working mechanism of Yang-Dan-Tang in patients.

Caffeic Acid Phenethyl Ester from the Twigs of Cinnamomum cassia Inhibits Malignant Cell Transformation by Inducing c-Fos Degradation

“…Cinnamomi Ramulus refers to the twigs of C. cassia and has been used as an ingredient in traditional anticancer herbal medicine in Korea and China. − , On the basis of our findings, we believe that the anticancer effects observed in Cinnamomi Ramulus can be at least partially attributed to the effect of CAPE directly suppressing the proto-oncogene c-Fos. Interestingly, a study of 2-hydroxycinnamaldehyde, another compound present in C. cassia , also reported the suppression of cancer cell growth through the inactivation of AP-1 .…”

“…Previous studies of Geiji-Bokryung-Hwan have shown anticancer effects in a two-stage mouse skin cancer model and human hepatocarcinoma cells . In addition, Cinnamomi Ramulus has similarly been used as an ingredient in Yang-Dan-Tang , a Chinese herbal formulation that was shown to inhibit lung cancer cell proliferation via G1/G2 phase arrest without affecting normal cells . Despite the widespread usage of Cinnamomi Ramulus in anticancer preparations, the chemical components responsible for the activity have not been comprehensively analyzed.…”

Ping‐Chong‐Jiang‐Ni Formula Induces Apoptosis and Inhibits Proliferation of Human Ectopic Endometrial Stromal Cells in Endometriosis via the Activation of JNK Signaling Pathway

“…Furthermore, this effect was dependent on the activation of JNK signaling pathway, which was usually involved in cell apoptosis induction under diverse stimulus. It should be noted that Ramulus Cinnamomi did not affect cell apoptosis in human non-small-cell lung carcinoma cell line A549 [ 31 ]; we speculated that this differential effect of Ramulus Cinnamomi on cell apoptosis might be cell line-specific; alternatively, the differential components between these formulas could be responsible for this discrepancy.…”

The investigation of a traditional Chinese medicine, Guizhi Fuling Wan (GFW) as an intravesical therapeutic agent for urothelial carcinoma of the bladder

“…To determine the maximum dosage of GFW that normal urothelial cells could tolerate, normal human urothelial HUC 4449 cells were treated with various concentrations of GFW and its major component, Ramulus Cinnamomi (Guizhi). The non-toxic effects of Guizhi have been demonstrated in MRC-5 normal lung epithelial cells [16]; therefore, we selected Guizhi as a negative control for this study. According to CCK-8 assay, GFW and Guizhi caused significant death (p<0.01) of HUC 4449 cells at concentrations of 4 mg/ml and 8 mg/ml, respectively, compared to the untreated control (Figure 2).…”