Antitumor and immunoregulation effects and mechanism of n-butanol fraction from Zanthoxylum avicennae in H22 mice

Abstract

Background: The aim of this study was to study the antitumor and immunomodulatory effects and its mechanism of the n-butyl alcohol extract of the ethanol extracts in Zanthoxylum avicennae (Lam.) DC. for the mice with liver cancer H22. Materials and Methods: To inoculate H22 tumor plant to the mice and establish three different animal models of liver cancer solid tumor ascitic tumor and immunodeficiency in mice H22 and then divide the mice into six groups: blank group, model group, positive group (cyclophosphamide or astragalus polysaccharide), drug dosages group of high, medium, and lower (1.28 g/kg, 0.64 g/kg, 0.32 g/kg). After 2 weeks of intragastric administration, the content of aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interleukin-2 (IL-2) in the blood serum of the mice with solid cancer and the level of superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA), TNF-α, and IL-2 in the blood serum of the immunodeficiency mice were determined. At the same time, the indexes of liver, spleen, and thymus gland organs in solid tumor mice and immunodeficiency mice were determined, the life elongation rate of the mice with liver cancer H22 ascitic tumor was observed, and then the changing status of the tumor tissue by the method of HE dyeing was observed. Results: The contents of TNF-α and IL-2 in the serum of the high-dose group of the solid tumor model were obviously higher than the normal group, with very significant difference (P