Abstract:
BACKGROUND:Clinacanthus nutans extracts have been consumed by the cancer patients with the hope that the extracts can kill cancers more effectively than conventional chemotherapies. Our previous study reported its anti-inflammatory effects were caused by inhibiting Toll-like Receptor-4 (TLR-4) activation. However, we are unsure of its anticancer effect, and its interaction with existing chemotherapy. METHODS:We investigated the anti-proliferative efficacy of polar leaf extracts (LP), non-polar leaf extracts (LN), polar stem extract (SP) and non-polar stem extracts (SN) in human breast, colorectal, lung, endometrial, nasopharyngeal, and pancreatic cancer cells using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide, MTT assay. The most potent extracts was tested along with gemcitabine using our established drug combination analysis. The effect of the combinatory treatment in apoptosis were quantified using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), Annexin V assay, antibody array and immunoblotting. Statistical significance was analysed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and post hoc Dunnett's test. A p-value of less than 0.05 (p < 0.05) was considered statistical significance. RESULTS:All extracts tested were not able to induce potent anti-proliferative effects. However, it was found that pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, PDAC (AsPC1, BxPC3 and SW1990) were the cell lines most sensitive cell lines to SN extracts. This is the first report of C. nutans SN extracts acting in synergy with gemcitabine, the first line chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer, as compared to conventional monotherapy. In the presence of SN extracts, we can reduce the dose of gemcitabine 2.38-5.28 folds but still maintain the effects of gemcitabine in PDAC. SN extracts potentiated the killing of gemcitabine in PDAC by apoptosis. Bax was upregulated while bcl-2, cIAP-2, and XIAP levels were downregulated in SW1990 and BxPC3 cells treated with gemcitabine and SN extracts. The synergism was independent of TLR-4 expression in pancreatic cancer cells. CONCLUSION:These results provide strong evidence of C. nutans extracts being inefficacious as monotherapy for cancer. Hence, it should not be used as a total substitution for any chemotherapy agents. However, SN extracts may synergise with gemcitabine in the anti-tumor mechanism.
journal_name
BMC Complement Altern Medjournal_title
BMC complementary and alternative medicineauthors
Hii LW,Lim SE,Leong CO,Chin SY,Tan NP,Lai KS,Mai CWdoi
10.1186/s12906-019-2663-9subject
Has Abstractpub_date
2019-09-14 00:00:00pages
257issue
1issn
1472-6882pii
10.1186/s12906-019-2663-9journal_volume
19pub_type
杂志文章abstract:BACKGROUND:Herbal materials should be stored at optimal conditions in order to retain their nutritional quality. Proper storage has a significant impact on the quality of the herbs and spices. METHODS:The effects of storage temperature (5 and 15 °C) and time (4 and 8 months) on the phytochemical constituents associate...
journal_title:BMC complementary and alternative medicine
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1186/s12906-016-1352-1
更新日期:2016-09-29 00:00:00
abstract:BACKGROUND:The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) persists, despite the availability of conventional medicine (CM), modernisation, globalisation, technological advancement, and limited scientific evidence supporting CAM. People with cardiovascular diseases often use CAM, despite possible major adverse ...
journal_title:BMC complementary and alternative medicine
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1186/s12906-015-0610-y
更新日期:2015-03-31 00:00:00
abstract:BACKGROUND:Approximately 11% of the German population are convinced that certain moon phases and moon signs may impact their health and the onset and clinical course of diseases. Before elective surgery, a considerable number of patients look to optimize the timing of the procedure based on the lunar cycle. Especially ...
journal_title:BMC complementary and alternative medicine
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1186/s12906-017-1944-4
更新日期:2017-09-04 00:00:00
abstract:BACKGROUND:To evaluate and compare 6-month effects of 8 weeks of an integrative treatment (IT), therapeutic acupuncture (TA), and conventional treatment (CT) in reducing symptoms of anxiety, depression and in improving health-related quality of life (HRQL) and sense of coherence (SOC) in psychologically distressed prim...
journal_title:BMC complementary and alternative medicine
pub_type: 杂志文章,多中心研究,随机对照试验
doi:10.1186/1472-6882-14-210
更新日期:2014-06-30 00:00:00
abstract:BACKGROUND:Diabetes is a growing burden in sub-Saharan Africa where traditional medicines (TMs) remain a primary form of healthcare in many settings. In Tanzania, TMs are frequently used to treat non-communicable diseases, yet little is known about TM practices for non-communicable diseases like diabetes. METHODS:Betw...
journal_title:BMC complementary and alternative medicine
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1186/s12906-016-1262-2
更新日期:2016-08-11 00:00:00
abstract:BACKGROUND:CAM use is widespread, especially among patients with diabetes. The Gulf States have a high prevalence of diabetes, alongside a long tradition of CAM use. The aim of this study is to establish the prevalence of CAM use among patients with diabetes mellitus in Bahrain and to examine the characteristics of the...
journal_title:BMC complementary and alternative medicine
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1186/1472-6882-10-35
更新日期:2010-07-14 00:00:00
abstract:BACKGROUND:The effect and safety of catgut implantation at acupoints o treat allergic rhinitis (ICD-10 code J30.4) remain controversial. Here, we used a sham catgut implantation group to determine whether catgut implantation at acupoints is an effective and safe treatment for allergic rhinitis. METHODS:A randomized do...
journal_title:BMC complementary and alternative medicine
pub_type: 杂志文章,随机对照试验
doi:10.1186/s12906-016-1400-x
更新日期:2016-11-10 00:00:00
abstract:BACKGROUND:Insulin resistance is characterized by deficient responses to insulin in its target tissues. In the present study, we examined the effects of L-Citrulline (L-Cit) on insulin sensitivity and signaling cascades in rat hepatoma H4IIE cells and SHRSP.Z-Leprfa/IzmDmcr rats. METHODS:H4IIE cells were pretreated in...
journal_title:BMC complementary and alternative medicine
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1186/s12906-015-0706-4
更新日期:2015-06-18 00:00:00
abstract:BACKGROUND:Dengue fever regardless of its serotypes has been the most prevalent arthropod-borne viral diseases among the world population. The development of a dengue vaccine is complicated by the antibody-dependent enhancement effect. Thus, the development of a plant-based antiviral preparation promises a more potenti...
journal_title:BMC complementary and alternative medicine
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1186/1472-6882-12-3
更新日期:2012-01-13 00:00:00
abstract:BACKGROUND:Much research has been done in Northeast Asia to show the efficacy of traditional medicine. While MEDLINE contains many biomedical articles including those on traditional medicine, it does not categorize those articles by specific research area. The aim of this study was to provide a method that searches for...
journal_title:BMC complementary and alternative medicine
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1186/s12906-017-1596-4
更新日期:2017-01-28 00:00:00
abstract:BACKGROUND:Pingchuan Formula (PCF) is a traditional Chinese recipe. PCF improves chronic airway inflammation by correcting the imbalance of T-helper cell ratio. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of PCF on pathological changes in the lungs of asthmatic mice in terms of Treg/Th17 balance. METHODS:A...
journal_title:BMC complementary and alternative medicine
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1186/s12906-015-0755-8
更新日期:2015-07-16 00:00:00
abstract:BACKGROUND:Edible insects, including Oxya chinensis sinuosa Mishchenko (Oc), which is consumed as food in Asia, are considered as a human food shortage alternative, and also as a preventive measure against environmental destruction. Ultraviolet B (UVB) irradiation, which causes skin photodamage, is considered as an ext...
journal_title:BMC complementary and alternative medicine
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1186/s12906-019-2692-4
更新日期:2019-10-28 00:00:00
abstract:BACKGROUND:The study was part of a nationwide evaluation of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in Swiss primary care. The aim of the study was to compare patient-physician relationships and the respective patient-reported relief of symptoms between CAM and conventional primary care (COM). METHODS:A comparati...
journal_title:BMC complementary and alternative medicine
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1186/1472-6882-10-63
更新日期:2010-11-04 00:00:00
abstract:BACKGROUND:With the emergence of strains resistant to conventional antibiotics, it is important to carry studies using alternative methods to control these microorganisms causing important infections, such as the use of products of plant origin that has demonstrated effective antimicrobial activity besides biocompatibi...
journal_title:BMC complementary and alternative medicine
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1186/1472-6882-13-208
更新日期:2013-08-15 00:00:00
abstract:BACKGROUND:The body responds to overnutrition by converting stem cells to adipocytes. In vitro and in vivo studies have shown polyphenols and other natural compounds to be anti-adipogenic, presumably due in part to their antioxidant properties. Purpurin is a highly antioxidative anthraquinone and previous studies on an...
journal_title:BMC complementary and alternative medicine
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1186/s12906-019-2756-5
更新日期:2019-12-11 00:00:00
abstract:BACKGROUND:Pyrexia, algesia and inflammation are associated with several pathological conditions. Synthetic drugs available for the treatment of these conditions cause multiple unwanted effects. Several studies are ongoing worldwide to find natural healing agents with better safety profile. The current study was thus a...
journal_title:BMC complementary and alternative medicine
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1186/1472-6882-12-59
更新日期:2012-05-02 00:00:00
abstract:BACKGROUND:Scientific interest in acupuncture has led numerous investigators to conduct clinical trials to test the efficacy of acupuncture for various conditions, but the mechanisms underlying acupuncture are poorly understood. METHODS:The author conducted a PubMed search to obtain a fair sample of acupuncture clinic...
journal_title:BMC complementary and alternative medicine
pub_type: 杂志文章,评审
doi:10.1186/1472-6882-6-25
更新日期:2006-07-07 00:00:00
abstract:BACKGROUND:Despite substantial advances in pain research and treatment, millions of people continue to suffer from pain and this has been attributed mainly to the unavailability of effective and safer analgesics. The use of plants as medicines is still widespread and plants constitute a large source of novel phytocompo...
journal_title:BMC complementary and alternative medicine
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1186/s12906-017-1750-z
更新日期:2017-04-26 00:00:00
abstract:BACKGROUND:The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of electroacupuncture (EA), diclofenac and their combination in symptomatic treatment of osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee. METHODS:This study was a randomized, single-blind, placebo controlled trial. The 193 out-patients with OA of the knee were randomize...
journal_title:BMC complementary and alternative medicine
pub_type: 临床试验,杂志文章,随机对照试验
doi:10.1186/1472-6882-2-3
更新日期:2002-03-21 00:00:00
abstract:BACKGROUND:Traditionally, Pine has been used to treat oxidative and inflammatory disorders. The study was aimed to investigate biological potential of phytoconstituents of Pinus plant species: Pinus roxburghii, Pinus wallichiana and Pinus gerardiana using in-vitro antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial method...
journal_title:BMC complementary and alternative medicine
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1186/s12906-016-1011-6
更新日期:2016-01-28 00:00:00
abstract:BACKGROUND:Semen armeniacae amarum (SAA) is a Chinese traditional medicine and has long been used to control acute lower respiratory tract infection and asthma, as a result of its expectorant and antiasthmatic activities. However, its mutagenicity in vitro and in vivo has not yet been reported. The Ames test for mutage...
journal_title:BMC complementary and alternative medicine
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1186/1472-6882-9-43
更新日期:2009-11-15 00:00:00
abstract:BACKGROUND:Originating from Africa, India, and the Middle East, frankincense oil has been important both socially and economically as an ingredient in incense and perfumes for thousands of years. Frankincense oil is prepared from aromatic hardened gum resins obtained by tapping Boswellia trees. One of the main componen...
journal_title:BMC complementary and alternative medicine
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1186/1472-6882-9-6
更新日期:2009-03-18 00:00:00
abstract:BACKGROUND:Sea buckthorn (Elaeagnus rhamnoides (L.) A. Nelson, SBT) is a valuable plant because of its medical and therapeutic potential. Different bioactive compounds in SBT berries are of special interest to various researchers. However, not only sea buckthorn berries, but also leaves of this plant (both fresh and dr...
journal_title:BMC complementary and alternative medicine
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1186/s12906-019-2564-y
更新日期:2019-06-25 00:00:00
abstract:BACKGROUND:Bitter gourd (Momordica charantia) has attracted the focus of researchers owing to its excellent anti-diabetic action. The beneficial effect of Momordica charantia on heart has been reported by in vitro and in vivo studies. However the developmental toxicity or potential risk of M. charantia on fetus heart d...
journal_title:BMC complementary and alternative medicine
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1186/s12906-019-2599-0
更新日期:2019-07-24 00:00:00
abstract:BACKGROUND:Gualou Xiebai Decoction (GXD) is a well-known traditional Chinese recipe. It has been used to treat cardiovascular disorders for nearly two thousand years. But there is a lack of reports on cardiac fibrosis and underlying mechanism. METHODS:Myocardial infarction was performed by ligation of left anterior de...
journal_title:BMC complementary and alternative medicine
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1186/s12906-016-1012-5
更新日期:2016-02-04 00:00:00
abstract:BACKGROUND:The imbalance between the generation of free radicals and natural cellular antioxidant defenses, known as oxidative stress, can cause oxidation of biomolecules and further contribute to aging-associated diseases. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the antioxidant capacities of Thai traditional tonifyi...
journal_title:BMC complementary and alternative medicine
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1186/s12906-019-2626-1
更新日期:2019-08-13 00:00:00
abstract:BACKGROUND:There have been a few but not precise surveys of the current status of traditional Japanese Kampo education at medical schools in Japan. Our aim was to identify problems and suggest solutions for a standardized Kampo educational model for all medical schools throughout Japan. METHODS:We surveyed all 80 medi...
journal_title:BMC complementary and alternative medicine
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1186/1472-6882-12-207
更新日期:2012-11-02 00:00:00
abstract:BACKGROUND:Rhodiola crenulata is traditionally used as a folk medicine in Tibet for preventing high-altitude illnesses, including sudden cardiac death (SCD). The cardio-protective effects of Rhodiola crenulata root extract (RCE) against hypoxia in vivo have been recently confirmed. However, the way in which RCE produce...
journal_title:BMC complementary and alternative medicine
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1186/s12906-016-1524-z
更新日期:2017-01-07 00:00:00
abstract:BACKGROUND:The medicinal orchid Dendrobium moniliforme contains water-soluble polysaccharides, phenanthrenes, bibenzyl derivatives, and polyphenol compounds. This study explored the antioxidant and cytotoxic activities of D. moniliforme extracts and detected their bioactive compounds. METHODS:Plant material was collec...
journal_title:BMC complementary and alternative medicine
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1186/s12906-018-2197-6
更新日期:2018-04-23 00:00:00
abstract:BACKGROUND:The young shoots of Rubus idaeus are traditionally used as a herbal remedy in common cold, fever and flu-like infections yet there is no research concerning this plant material. The aim of the study was to evaluate the chemical composition and biological properties of raspberry shoots from 11 cultivar variet...
journal_title:BMC complementary and alternative medicine
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1186/1472-6882-14-480
更新日期:2014-12-12 00:00:00