An innovative anti-cancer Chinese herbal formula exhibited multi-targeted efficacies in metastatic breast cancer mouse model

Abstract Background The incidence and mortality of cancer metastasis is high worldwide. Despite of the chemotherapeutic agents, many cancer patients still take traditional Chinese herbal prescriptions as adjuvant treatments. However, most of these herbal formulae/products lack of evidence-based efficacy. Based on our previous investigations on anti-tumor, anti-angiogenic, anti-metastatic, bone protective and immunomodulating activities of various Chinese herbal medicines, four constituent herbs, namely Andrographis paniculata, Acanthopanax senticosus, Camellia sinensis, and Hedyotis diffusa were eventually selected to form an innovative herbal formula. Methods The anti-tumor efficacies of the formula were evaluated in metastatic breast cancer mice model. The bone protective and immunomodulatory effects were also assessed after formula treatment. Results Our results showed that the breast tumor weight as well as lung and liver metastasis in mice could be reduced after herbal formula treatment for 4 weeks. The breast tumor-induced osteolysis in mice was restored by herbal formula treatment, in which the bone volume in treated mice tibia was comparable to that in the non-tumor bearing normal mice. The IL-12 level was augmented and the survival of mice with metastatic breast tumors was prolonged after treatment. Furthermore, combination of herbal formula with chemotherapeutic agent doxorubicin resulted in better anti-tumor efficacy and increased life span in tumor-bearing mice, when compared with doxorubicin alone treatment. Conclusions In summary, our innovative Chinese herbal formula was demonstrated to possess anti-tumor, anti-metastatic and bone-protective activities in metastatic breast tumor-bearing mice. The preclinical data generated in this study would lead to the development of evidence-based supplement as adjuvant therapy for metastatic breast cancer