ABSTRACT
ObjectiveTo study the effect of Bushen Huoxuetang on the apoptosis and the expression of B-cell lymphoma （Bcl-2）-associated X protein （Bax）/ Bcl-2 and cleaved cysteine-containing aspartate proteolytic enzyme-3 （cleaved Caspase-3） in the nude mouse model of bone metastasis of breast cancer， and explore the mechanism of Bushen Huoxuetang in inhibiting bone destruction. MethodThirty BALB/c female nude mice were randomly assigned into blank group （n=6） and model group （n=24）. The suspension of 4T1 breast cancer cells was injected into the tibia of mouse right lower limb to establish model of bone metastasis of breast cancer. The successfully modeled nude mice were randomly assigned into model group， Bushen Huoxuetang group， zoledronic acid group， and combined drug group， with 6 mice in each group. Bushen Huoxuetang was administrated at a dose of 36.67 g·kg-1， once a day， and zoledronic acid was administrated by subcutaneous injection at a dose of 100 μg·kg-1， twice a week. The combined drug group was administrated with the same doses of Bushen Huoxuetang group by gavage and zoledronic acid by subcutaneous injection. The mice in the blank group and the model group were administrated with the same volume of distilled water by gavage for 14 days. On the next day at the end of drug administration， the mice were sacrificed by cervical dislocation. The general situation and weight changes of the mice were examined. The right lower limb was collected， and X-ray scanning and hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining methods were used for observation of pathological changes in the bone. The terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick-end labeling （TUNEL） was employed to detect the apoptosis of bone tissue in nude mice， and Western blot to determine the expression of Bax/Bcl-2 and cleaved Caspase-3 in the bone tissue. ResultCompared with the blank group， the modeling reduced the body weight （P<0.01） and increased the right lower limb weight of the nude mice （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， Bushen Huoxuetang， zoledronic acid， and their combination increased the body weight （P<0.01） and decreased the right lower limb weight （P<0.01）. Compared with the blank group， the other groups showed obvious tumor cell atypia， deep nuclear staining， and clear bone metastasis， and the model group showed obvious osteolytic damage in right lower limb and loss of proximal tibia and knee joint. Compared with the model group， Bushen Huoxuetang， zoledronic acid， and their combination reduced the osteolytic lesions in the right lower limb and recovered part of the bone structure， demonstrating an inhibitory effect on bone destruction. The TUNEL assay showed that the model group had lower apoptosis rate of bone metastatic tumor cells than the blank group， Bushen Huoxuetang group， zoledronic acid group， and combined drug group （P<0.01）. Compared with the blank group， the modeling down-regulated the expression of Bax and cleaved Caspase-3 （P<0.01） and up-regulated the expression of Bcl-2 （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， Bushen Huoxuetang， zoledronic acid， and their combination up-regulated the expression of Bax （P<0.01） and cleaved Caspase-3 （P<0.05， P<0.01） and down-regulated the expression of Bcl-2 （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionBushen Huoxuetang may inhibit bone destruction in the nude mouse model of bone metastasis of breast cancer by up-regulating the expression of Bax， down-regulating the expression of Bcl-2， activating cleaved Caspase-3， and further inducing apoptosis.
ABSTRACT
ObjectiveTo investigate the clinical effect of Shipiyin combined with diosmin in the treatment of lymphedema with spleen Yang deficiency syndrome（SYDS）after modified radical mastectomy and the specific effect on the function of the affected limb. MethodEighty-two patients with lymphedema with SYDS after modified radical mastectomy from outpatient and inpatient department of breast department and oncology department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan University of Chinese Medicine were randomly divided into an observation group（41 cases） and a control group（41 cases）. The control group was given diosmin tablets（0.9 g per time， two times per day）on the basis of conventional treatment，and the observation group was given Shipiyin（one dose per day）on the basis of the control group. The course of treatment was 14 days. The clinical symptoms were observed and the limb circumference，traditional Chinese medicine（TCM） syndrome score，functional assessment of cancer therapy-breast cancer（FACT-B） score，disability of arm， shoulder and hand questionnaire（DASH） score，and joint range of motion were measured to analyze the TCM syndrome therapeutic effect and clinical efficacy. ResultAfter 14 days of treatment， the total effective rate of the observation group was 85.37% （35/41） and that of the control group was 63.41% （26/41） in the TCM symptoms， showing a statistically significant difference （Z=-2.212， P<0.05）. In terms of the clinical efficacy， the total effective rate in the observation group was 82.93% （34/41） and that in the control group was 75.61% （31/41）， indicating a statistically significant difference （Z=-2.061， P<0.05）. Compared with the situations before treatment， the scores of clinical symptoms such as the swelling of the upper limb， pain， sense of heaviness， stuffiness， fatigue， fullness， tightness， and skin keratosis and pruritus in the two groups were significantly lowered （P<0.01） after treatment. Compared with the control group， the observation group could better improve the swelling and fullness（P<0.01），as well as the feeling of pain，heaviness，stuffiness，fatigue，tightness，skin keratosis and pruritus （P<0.05）of the upper limbs of patients. The affected limb circumference， TCM syndrome score， and DASH score decreased significantly， while the FACT-B score and upper limb joint range of motion increased significantly in the two groups after treatment （P<0.01）. Compared with the control group， the observation group showed significantly reduced limb circumference at 10 cm proximal to the elbow striae， lowered TCM syndrome score， elevated FACT-B score（P<0.05）， decreased DASH score and improved range of motion of the upper limb joint （P<0.01） after treatment. ConclusionShipiyin combined with diosmin has better clinical efficacy in the treatment of lymphedema with SYDS after modified radical mastectomy than diosmin alone，which can better improve the clinical symptoms，signs，quality of life and limb functional activity of patients. This provides a new clinical program for the treatment of lymphedema after breast cancer surgery with integrated Chinese and western medicine.