The novel herbal cocktail MA128 suppresses tumor growth and the metastatic potential of highly malignant tumor cells

MA128, a novel herbal medicine, was previously identified and its effectiveness in the treatment of asthma and atopic dermatitis (AD) was demonstrated. In particular, post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH) in AD mice was improved by treatment with MA128. In addition, MA128 exhibited anti-melanogenic activity by inhibiting tyrosinase activity via the p38 MAPK and protein kinase A signaling pathways in B16F10 cells. In the present study, we examined whether oral administration of MA128 suppressed the in vivo tumor growth of HT1080 cells in athymic nude mice. The results showed that the daily oral administration of 75 and 150 mg/kg MA128 suppressed the tumorigenic growth of HT1080 cells efficiently. Since metastasis is a major cause of cancer-associated mortality and the greatest challenge during cancer treatment, we investigated the effect of non-toxic concentrations of MA128 on the metastatic potential of HT1080 cells. MA128 inhibited anchorage-independent colony formation, migration and invasion. Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) activity under resting and PMA-stimulated conditions was decreased in a dose-dependent manner by MA128 in HT1080 cells. In addition, the daily oral administration of MA128 at doses of 75 and 150 mg/kg efficiently blocked the lung metastasis of B16F10 cells that had been injected into the tail veins of C57BL/6 mice. In particular, none of the mice treated with MA128 exhibited systemic toxicity, such as body weight loss or liver and kidney dysfunction. MA128 also inhibited tumor‑induced angiogenesis. Taken together, the results suggest that MA128 is a potential therapeutic agent and a safe herbal medicine for controlling malignant and metastatic cancer.