Anti-metastatic effect and mechanisms of Wenshen Zhuanggu Formula in human breast cancer cells

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Wenshen Zhuanggu Formula (WSZG), a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) empirical prescription, has been used to treat the patients with breast cancer bone metastasis as an adjuvant in clinical practice. To explore the anti-metastatic activity and potential mechanisms of WSZG-containing serum (WSZG-CS) on highly bone-metastatic human breast cancer MDA-MB-231BO cells. Materials and methods: MDA-MB-231BO cells were cultured alone or co-cultured with bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs). Invasion assays were carried out in Matrigel-coated Transwell chambers. CC chemokine 5 (CCL5) and interleukin (IL)-17B secretion levels were detected by ELISA. CCR5 and IL-17BR protein expression levels were determined by immunocytochemistry and Western blot analysis. Results: Compared with control serum, WSZG-CS significantly inhibited BMSC induced MDA-MB-231B0 breast cancer cell invasion, reduced CCL5 and IL-17B levels in co-culture supernatants, and down-regulated CCR5 and IL-17BR protein expression in breast cancer cells co-cultured with BMSCs. Conclusions: WSZG-CS exerts an anti-metastatic activity against MDA-MB-231B0 breast cancer cells, due to its ability to mitigate the interaction between BMSCs and breast cancer cells mediated via the CCL5/CCR5 and IL-17B/IL-17BR signaling pathways. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.