Objective To study the effect of
Chinese medicine Longquan Fufang on tumor growth and its mechanism. Methods Lewis Lung cancer
line was inoculated subcutaneously in DBA/2 mice. S180 cells was inoculated intramuscularly in BALB/c mice. The supernant of herbs ( 0.5 ml/day, each mouse) was given into mouse stomach for ten times. Cytotoxicity of CTL in vitro was measured with MTT colorimetry. The
expression of mRNA was analyzed with RT-PCR. Results Longquan Fufang can inhibit significantly the growth of two cancer cell lines in mice.Its effect is dependant on dosage of herbs supernant used. The same dosage of herbs is more effective on Lewis lung cancer cells than on S180. After treatment with herbs, CTLs from mice spleen have stronger toxicity for tumor cells in vitro. The mRNA expression of IL-2 and IFN- was up-regulated by administration of herbs. The mRNA expression of B7-H1 did not changed significantly. Conclusion Longquan Fufang is a promising
Chinese medicine for tumor therapy. Its mechanism could be direct toxicity for tumor cells and indirect inhibition by immune regulation.