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Anticancer activity of total flavonoids isolated from Xianhe Yanling Recipe (仙鹤延龄方)

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Abstract

Objective

To investigate the anticancer activity of the total flavonoids isolated from a herbal formula, Xianhe Yanling Recipe (仙鹤延龄方), a recipe commonly used in cancer patients in China.

Methods

The in vitro anticancer activity of the total flavonoids was determined using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazole-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay on three cancer cell lines: MCF-7 (a human breast adenocarcinoma cell line), HepG-2 (a human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line) and ES-2 (a human ovarian cancer cell line). The in vivo anticancer effect of the total flavonoids was assessed in a mouse tumor model bearing H22-induced hepatocellular carcinoma, and cisplatin was used as a positive control.

Results

The total flavonoids exerted a powerful inhibitory effect on the three cell lines, with 50% inhibiting concentrations (IC50) of 24.948, 31.569 and 6.923 μg/mL, respectively. In vivo studies showed that the total flavonoids had dose-dependent inhibitory effects on hepatocellular carcinoma in mice.

Conclusion

The total flavonoids from Xianhe Yanling Recipe have potential anticancer activity, and further researches and development are warranted.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Radiation Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Nuclear Medicine, Tianjin, 300192, China

    Pei-xun Liu  (刘培勋), Jing Gao  (高 境), Yu-jie Chen  (陈毓杰), Wei Long  (龙 伟), Xiu Shen  (沈 秀) & Wei-sheng Tang  (唐卫生)

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  1. Pei-xun Liu  (刘培勋)
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  2. Jing Gao  (高 境)
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  3. Yu-jie Chen  (陈毓杰)
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  4. Wei Long  (龙 伟)
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  5. Xiu Shen  (沈 秀)
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  6. Wei-sheng Tang  (唐卫生)
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Pei-xun Liu  (刘培勋).

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Liu, Px., Gao, J., Chen, Yj. et al. Anticancer activity of total flavonoids isolated from Xianhe Yanling Recipe (仙鹤延龄方). Chin. J. Integr. Med. 17, 459–463 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11655-011-0644-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11655-011-0644-z

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