Open Access

An in vivo molecular response analysis of colorectal cancer treated with Astragalus membranaceus extract

  • Authors:
    • Ailun Tseng
    • Chih-Hsueh Yang
    • Chih-Hao Chen
    • Chang-Han Chen
    • Shih-Lan Hsu
    • Mei-Hsien Lee
    • Hoong-Chien Lee
    • Li-Jen Su
  • View Affiliations

  • Published online on: November 23, 2015     https://doi.org/10.3892/or.2015.4441
  • Pages: 659-668
  • Copyright: © Tseng et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.

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Abstract

The fact that many chemotherapeutic drugs cause chemoresistance and side effects during the course of colorectal cancer treatment necessitates development of novel cytotoxic agents aiming to attenuate new molecular targets. Here, we show that Astragalus membranaceus (Fischer) Bge. var. mongolicus (Bge.) Hsiao (AM), a traditional Chinese medicine, can inhibit tumor growth in vivo and elucidate the underlying molecular mechanisms. The antitumor effect of AM was assessed on the subcutaneous tumors of human colorectal cancer cell line HCT116 grafted into nude mice. The mice were treated with either water or 500 mg/kg AM once per day, before being sacrificed for extraction of tumors, which were then subjected to microarray expression profiling. The gene expression of the extraction was then profiled using microarray analysis. The identified genes differentially expressed between treated mice and controls reveal that administration of AM suppresses chromosome organization, histone modification, and regulation of macromolecule metabolic process. A separate analysis focused on differentially expressed microRNAs revealing involvement of macromolecule metabolism, and intracellular transport, as well as several cancer signaling pathways. For validation, the input of the identified genes to The Library of Integrated Network-based Cellular Signatures led to many chemopreventive agents of natural origin that produce similar gene expression profiles to that of AM. The demonstrated effectiveness of AM suggests a potential therapeutic drug for colorectal cancer.
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February-2016
Volume 35 Issue 2

Print ISSN: 1021-335X
Online ISSN:1791-2431

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Spandidos Publications style
Tseng A, Yang C, Chen C, Chen C, Hsu S, Lee M, Lee H and Su L: An in vivo molecular response analysis of colorectal cancer treated with Astragalus membranaceus extract. Oncol Rep 35: 659-668, 2016
APA
Tseng, A., Yang, C., Chen, C., Chen, C., Hsu, S., Lee, M. ... Su, L. (2016). An in vivo molecular response analysis of colorectal cancer treated with Astragalus membranaceus extract. Oncology Reports, 35, 659-668. https://doi.org/10.3892/or.2015.4441
MLA
Tseng, A., Yang, C., Chen, C., Chen, C., Hsu, S., Lee, M., Lee, H., Su, L."An in vivo molecular response analysis of colorectal cancer treated with Astragalus membranaceus extract". Oncology Reports 35.2 (2016): 659-668.
Chicago
Tseng, A., Yang, C., Chen, C., Chen, C., Hsu, S., Lee, M., Lee, H., Su, L."An in vivo molecular response analysis of colorectal cancer treated with Astragalus membranaceus extract". Oncology Reports 35, no. 2 (2016): 659-668. https://doi.org/10.3892/or.2015.4441