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Many prostate cancer (PCa) patients in Mainland China and other Asian countries often use Chinese herbal medicines as an adjuvant treatment while receiving Western medicines. However, concerns have been raised about the potential herb-drug interaction when using herbal medicines containing phytoandrogens.This study aimed to investigate the effects of the selected 21 Chinese herbal medicines on the proliferation and tumor growth using the relevant in vitro and in vivo models of PCa.After treatment of LNCaP and 22Rv1 cells with different concentrations of 70% ethanol extracts of the 21 selected herbal medicines for 48 h, the proliferative activity, the effects on androgen receptor (AR) and prostate specific antigen (PSA) were determined. The anti-tumor effects of the 21 herbs on PCa growth were also investigated on a subcutaneous mouse model of PCa.The results showed that Epimedii Folium (EF) and Codonopsis Radix (CNR) could significantly increase the cell viability in LNCaP cells (p 0.05 for both) and 22Rv1 cells (p 0.05 for both), protein expressions of AR in LNCaP cells (p 0.05 for both) and 22Rv1 cells (p 0.05 for both), and PSA (p 0.05 for both) in LNCaP cells. EF, CNR, and Cistanches Herba (CCH) markedly accentuated the tumor growth (p 0.05 for three drugs) and AR expression (p 0.05 for three herbs) in tumor tissues. On the other hand, treatment with Astragali Radix (AGR), Chuanxiong Rhizoma (CXR) and Bruceae Fructus (BF) significantly inhibited the cell viability in LNCaP cells (p 0.05, p 0.05 and p 0.001, respectively) and in 22Rv1 cells (p 0.05, p 0.05 and p 0.001, respectively), and the protein expression of AR in LNCaP cells (p 0.05 for three herbs) and 22Rv1 cells (p 0.05, p 0.05 and p 0.001, respectively), and the protein expression of PSA (p 0.05 for three herbs) in LNCaP cells, as well as tumor growth (p 0.05 for three herbs) and the AR expression (p 0.05 for AGR and CXR, p 0.001 for BF) in tumor tissues.Our results revealed that AGR, CXR and BF suppressed the PCa development via inhibition of AR expression, while EF, CNR and CCH promoted the development and progression of PCa via enhancement of AR expression. The results strongly suggest that caution should be exercised when using androgenic Chinese herbal medicines in PCa patients.

Ethnopharmacological relevance Brucea javanica is an important traditional medicinal herb used for the treatment of dysentery, malaria, inflammation and cancer in southeast Asia for many years. However, the anti-inflammatory mechanism of Brucea javanica in the treatment of dysentery (also known as ulcerative colitis, UC) has not been fully illuminated. Brucea javanica oil emulsion (BJOE) is the major active and most common application form of Brucea javanica oil (BJO), which has a variety of pharmacological activities. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential anti-inflammatory effect of BJOE and possible mechanism of action on dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced UC in mice. Materials and methods The components of BJOE were determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Balb/C mice with dextran sulfate sodium (DSS, 30 mg/mL) induced colitis were treated with BJOE (0.5, 1 and 2 g/kg) and two positive drugs (sulfasalazine, SASP, 200 mg/kg; and azathioprine, AZA, 13 mg/kg) once daily by gavage for 7 days. Mice in normal control group and DSS group were orally given the same volume of distilled water and soybean lecithin suspension (0.15 g/kg) respectively. The effects of BJOE on DSS-induced UC were assessed by determination of body weight loss, disease activity index (DAI), colon length, histological analysis, as well as levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines. The mRNA expression of MPO, iNOS and COX-2 in colon tissues was detected by qRT-PCR. In addition, NF-κB p65, p-p65 and IκB-α, p-IκBα protein expression levels in colon tissues were investigated using Western blotting. Results The major components of BJOE were found to be oleic acid (62.68%) and linoleic acid (19.53%) as detected by GC-MS. Our results indicated that BJOE, SASP and AZA showed beneficial effect on DSS-induced colitis in mice, and significantly reduced the body weight loss and DAI, restored the colon length, repaired colonic pathological variations, decreased histological scores, and decreased the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-17 and IFN-γ) as compared with the DSS group. In addition, the mRNA expression of MPO, iNOS and COX-2 induced by DSS treatment was remarkably inhibited by BJOE, SASP or AZA treatments. Furthermore, when compared with DSS-treated mice, the activation of NF-κB was significantly inhibited by AZA and BJOE treatment. Conclusions Our study shows that BJOE possessed appreciable anti-inflammatory effect against murine experimental UC induced by DSS. The protective mechanism of BJOE may involve inhibition of NF-κB signal transduction pathways and subsequent down-regulation of inflammatory mediators. These findings suggest that BJOE might be an efficacious and promising therapeutic approach for the treatment of UC. Our investigation might also provide experimental evidence for the traditional application of Brucea javanica in the treatment of dysentery and might add new dimension to the clinical indications for BJOE.

Ethnopharmacological relevance Existing evidences suggest that Radix Astragali and its polysaccharides composition (APS) can improve muscle mass, but the mechanisms need more research. Aim of the study In this study, we aimed to examine the effects of APS on muscle wasting at molecular level in 5/6 nephrectomised rats. Materials and methods We performed 5/6 nephrectomy or sham operation in 160 6-week-old Sprague–Dawley rats, and feed animals with or without 2% APS for 155 days. After treatment, we compared the change of weight, muscle fibre, protein metabolism, pro-inflammatory factors (TNF-α, IL-15, CRP) and oxidative factors (MDA, SOD) among each group. In addition, we detected the Akt/mTOR, ubiquitin proteasome, autophagy signalling and AA transporters in vivo and in vitro. Results Data in vivo show 2% APS could alleviate weight loss and improve protein metabolism in nephrectomised rats. The levels of serum pro-inflammatory factors and oxidative factors were restored by APS treatment. In molecular levels, APS restored Akt/mTOR, MAFbx, MuRF1, Atg7, LC3B-II/LC3B-I and SLC38A2 which changed in nephrectomised rats. Data in vitro show the optimal dose of APS is 0.2 mg/mL, and SLC38A2 siRNA attenuated the effects of 0.2 mg/mL APS on atrophy and autophagy. Conclusions Our results suggested APS could improve muscle wasting through Akt/mTOR, ubiquitin proteasome and autophagy signalling, and SLC38A2 may be one of potential targets.