An evaluation of the effects of a traditional Chinese herbal medicine, Hochu-ekki-to (Bu-zong-yi-qi-tang) on endometrial carcinogenesis was performed in experiments with female mice. In the short-term experiment, dietary exposure of Hochu-ekki-to (0.2% for 2 weeks) decreased the estradiol-17β (E2)-stimulated expression levels of c-jun (P<0.001), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α (P<0.005), estrogen receptors (ER)-α (P<0.001) and ER-β (P<0.005), as determined by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and a Southern blot analysis in the uteri of the ovarectomized mice. In the long-term experiment, the mice were given N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU) solution (1 mg/100 g body weight) and normal saline (as controls) into their left and right uterine corpora, respectively, and then were divided into four groups. Group 1 (25 mice) was given a diet with Hochu-ekki-to and 5 ppm E2. Group 2 (25 mice) was given a diet with E2 alone. Group 3 (25 mice) was given a diet with Hochu-ekki-to alone. Group 4 (25 mice) was kept on the basal diet alone and treated as a control. The incidence of uterine endometrial cancer in the group with Hochu-ekki-to treatment was substantially lower than of the control group. The inhibitory effect of Hochu-ekki-to on endometrial carcinogenesis is thus suggested to decrease the expressions of c-jun, TNF-α, ER-α and -β.

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