Effects of warming spleen and stomach for dispersing phlegm recipe on expression of interleukin-8 in S180 tumor tissue in mice

Abstract

To observe the effects of warming spleen and stomach for dispersing phlegm recipe (Wenzhong Xiaotan Recipe, WZXTR), a compound traditional Chinese herbal medicine, on expression of interleukin-8 (IL-8) in S(180) tumor tissue in mice, and to explore the effectiveness and its mechanism. Fifty mice were randomly divided into five groups: untreated group, cold water-treated group, cold water and WZXTR-treated group, cold water and dispersing phlegm and eliminating stagnation recipe (Xiaotan Sanjie Recipe, XTSJR, another compound traditional Chinese herbal medicine) treated group, cold water and tegafur-treated group. Mice in the latter 4 groups were fed 0-4 degrees centigrade cold distilled water 10 ml/(kg x d) one week before tumor inoculation for 3 weeks. Mice in the 5 groups were inoculated neoplastic cells which were diluted 2 x 10(7)/ml with normal saline in the right armpit at the second week. Forty-eight hours later, the mice were given drugs intragastrically (WZXTR, XTSJR and tegafur, respectively). The mice were continually intervened by cold water in the morning and given drugs in the afternoon. Mice in the cold water-treated group were given normal saline, and nothing was given in untreated group. Morphology appearance and changes of rectal temperature were observed, and the tumor weight and volume were measured and inhibitory rate was calculated 22 days after tumor inoculation. IL-8 was detected by avidin-biotin system-enzyme-labeled immunosorbent assay (ABC-ELISA) and real-time reverse polymerase chain reaction (real-time PCR). The content of IL-8 in tumor tissue of the untreated group was significantly higher than that of the other groups (P<0.01), and that of the cold water-treated group was higher than that of the cold water and WZXTR-treated group (P<0.01) and the cold water and XTSJR-treated group (P<0.05), respectively. The gray scale value of cDNA amplification strap was descent more evidently in both the cold water and WZXTR-treated group and the cold water and XTSJR-treated group as compared with that of the cold water-treated group and the untreated group (P<0.05). WZXTR can restrain tumor growth, and the mechanism may be that it can degrade the expression of IL-8 in S180 tumor.