Anticachectic effects of Coptidis rhizoma, an anti-inflammatory herb, on esophageal cancer cells that produce interleukin 6

Herbs as alternative cancer therapies have attracted a great deal of recent attention due to their low toxicity and costs. In this study, the antitumo r activity and anticachectic effect of Coptidis rhizoma, an anti-inflammato ry herb, were investigated in nude mice carrying a human esophageal cancer cell line YES-2, which constitutively secretes interleukin-6 (IL-6) and ind uces cachexia when injected into these mice. In this study, in vivo growth of YES-2 cells was not affected by an oral supplement containing the extrac t powder of C. rhizoma at a final concentration of 1% (CR supplement). Howe ver, in comparison with normal diet, CR supplement significantly attenuated weight loss of tumor-bearing mice without a change in food or water intake . Tumor IL-6 levels were significantly lower in mice treated with CR supple ment than in control mice (P < 0.001). Serum IL-6 was detectable in four (5 0%) of eight control mice; IL-6 was not detected in mice treated with CR su pplement. We also confirmed that berberine (8-32 <mu>M), a major component of C. rhizoma,nn, dose-dependently inhibited secretion of IL-6 by YES-2 cel ls in vitro. Moreover, reverse transcription-PCR assay showed that treatmen t of YES-2 cells with berberine (8-32 muM) for 24 h reduced IL-6 mRNA expre ssion. Our results suggest that C. rhizoma may have an anticachectic effect on esophageal cancer and an effect is associated with the ability of berbe rine to down-regulate tumor IL-6 production. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Irel and Ltd. All rights reserved.