Traditional Chinese medicine has been widely used in cancer treatment in China. Yangyin Fuzheng Decoction is a traditional Chinese compound medicine, composed of 12 traditional Chinese herbs. This study aimed to investigate anti-tumor activity and the underlying mechanisms of Yangyin Fuzheng Decoction combined with cisplatin in the treatment of lung cancer. We established lung cancer model in C57BL/6 mice injected with mouse Lewis lung cancer cells. Our results demonstrated that Yangyin Fuzheng Decoction treatment increased necrotic area in tumor tissue, and significantly enhanced the recruitment of inflammatory cells into the tumor. In addition, Yangyin Fuzheng Decoction treatment enhanced the anti-tumor efficacy of cisplatin and partially recovered mouse body weight loss caused by cisplatin treatment. Mechanistically, we found that Yangyin Fuzheng Decoction upregulated the expression of pro-apoptotic proteins p53 and Bax and suppressed the expression of anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2. Combined treatment of Yangyin Fuzheng Decoction and cisplatin further increased p53 and Bax levels and suppressed Bcl-2 level. Taken together, these data suggest that Yangyin Fuzheng Decoction could synergistically enhance the apoptotic signaling in cancer cells during chemotherapy. In addition, it has health improving and immune response enhancing effects. Yangyin Fuzheng Decoction could be a promising adjunct agent for lung cancer chemotherapy.
Keywords: Chemotherapy; Chinese traditional medicine; Cisplatin; Lung cancer; Yangyin Fuzheng Decoction.