Objective: To observe the effects of Feiyanning (FYN) formula, a compound traditional Chinese herbal medicine, on the expressions of CXCL12 and CXC chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) mRNAs and proteins in Lewis tumors in C57 mice.
Methods: A total of 24 C57BL-6 mice were used in this study. Lewis cells were subcutaneously injected to the right armpit to establish the tumor-bearing model. The C57 mice bearing Lewis tumor were randomly divided into untreated group, chemotherapy group, FYN group and chemotherapy plus FYN group. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry were employed to measure the expressions of CXCL12 and CXCR4 mRNAs and proteins in Lewis tumors in C57 mice respectively.
Results: The rates of lung cancer metastasis in the FYN group and the chemotherapy plus FYN group were markedly lower than that in the untreated group or the chemotherapy group. The expressions of CXCL12 and CXCR4 mRNAs and proteins appeared in tumor tissue in the untreated group. Although there was no significant difference in the expressions of mRNA and protein of CXCL12 among all groups (P>0.05), the expressions of mRNA and protein of CXCR4 in the untreated group and the chemotherapy group were markedly lower than those in the FYN group and the chemotherapy plus FYN group (P<0.05).
Conclusion: FYN can inhibit the metastasis of Lewis tumor loaded in C57 mice. Its mechanisms may be related to its down-regulation of the expression of chemokine receptor CXCR4, and affecting the role of CXCL12-CXCR4 biological axis.