Preventive and therapeutic effect of intraportal oridonin on BALb/c nude mice hemispleen model of colon cancer liver metastasis

Background This study is to investigate the preventive and therapeutic effect of intraportal oridonin on colorectal cancer liver metastasis (CRCLM). Methods The inhibitory effect of oridonin on HT29 cells was determined by CCK-8 and MTT assays. The preventive and therapeutic effect of intraportal oridonin on CRCLM were investigated by establishing BALb/c nude mice hemispleen models of colon cancer liver metastasis. The microscopic characteristics of tumor tissues were observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining, immunohistochemistry and TUNEL staining. On the other hand, liver function enzymes, such as alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP), were detected to evaluate the hepatotoxicity of intraportal oridonin. The serum levels of tumor markers, including carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and α-fetoprotein (AFP), were used to investigate the intervention effect of intraportal oridonin on CRCLM. Results Oridonin exerted an inhibitory effect on the proliferation of HT29 cells in vitro. Intraportal oridonin was found to effectively prevent the occurrence and formation of CRCLM, whilst intraportal oridonin can also exert a therapeutic effect on CRCLM. Additionally, liver enzymes testing indicated that intraportal oridonin possesses non-hepatotoxicity, instead can effectively alleviate liver injury caused by tumor. Furthermore, intraportal oridonin was also revealed to decrease the serum levels of AFP and CEA. Conclusions Intraportal oridonin can effectively inhibit the formation of liver metastatic tumor and exert a certain degree of preventive and therapeutic effect on CRCLM. These findings indicate intraportal oridonin to be a promising anti-metastasis agent for CRCLM.