Preliminary Study on the In Vitro Antitumor Effects of Nidus Vespae on Gastric Cancer

Ming Zhu; Weiwei Han; Yang Ling; Qiufeng Qi; Yaping Zhang; Yun Peng; Lin Chen; Yanqing Bao; Yongping Liu

doi:10.1155/2021/1549359

Preliminary Study on the In Vitro Antitumor Effects of Nidus Vespae on Gastric Cancer

Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2021 Jun 7:2021:1549359. doi: 10.1155/2021/1549359. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Ming Zhu^{1

2}, Weiwei Han³, Yang Ling^{1

4}, Qiufeng Qi^{1

2}, Yaping Zhang^{1

2

4}, Yun Peng^{1

2}, Lin Chen⁵, Yanqing Bao^{1

2}, Yongping Liu^{1

2

4}

Affiliations

¹ Clinical Oncology Laboratory, Changzhou Tumor Hospital Affiliated to Soochow University, Changzhou 213032, China.
² Central Laboratory, Changzhou Tumor Hospital Affiliated to Soochow University, Changzhou 213032, China.
³ Emergency Department, Changzhou Tumor Hospital Affiliated to Soochow University, Changzhou 213032, China.
⁴ Oncology Department, Changzhou Tumor Hospital Affiliated to Soochow University, Changzhou 213032, China.
⁵ Medical School, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China.

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the in vitro antitumor effects of Nidus Vespae on gastric cancer and its ability to promote immune function.

Methods: Cell viability was detected by the Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay. Cell cycle distribution and apoptosis were detected using flow cytometry. The THP-1 human monocytic cell line was used as a source of monocytic effector cells for analyzing proliferation and dendritic cell (DC) induction. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect cytokine production, and multicolor flow cytometry was used to study the phenotype and functionality of THP-1 DCs.

Results: A high concentration (>10 mg/mL) of Nidus Vespae decoction (NVD) inhibited SGC-7901 gastric cancer cell growth by inducing G2/M cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. However, a low concentration (≤10 mg/mL) of NVD significantly increased the proliferative ability of THP-1 in serum-containing medium and caused an increase in dendritic protrusions with the typical morphology of DCs compared to the negative control in serum-free medium. The THP-1 DCs had significantly increased expression of cluster of differentiation 11c (CD11c), CD40, CD80, CD83, and CD86, as well as secretion of tumor necrosis factor-alpha. Furthermore, the supernatant of THP-1 DCs significantly inhibited the proliferation of gastric cancer cells by inducing apoptosis and G1/S cell cycle arrest.

Conclusions: Our findings suggest that NVD not only directly inhibits the growth of gastric cancer cells but also exerts indirect antitumor effects by enhancing immune function. These results provide an important theoretical basis for the clinical application of Nidus Vespae in gastric cancer treatment.