Figure 3.

A schematic cartoon portraying the molecular basis of Shi-Re ZHENG in pancreatic cancer, based on our previous studies. It has been proposed that tumors with Shi-Re ZHENG exhibited altered cancer-associated myofibroblast (CAF) proliferative activities and tumor-associated macrophage (TAM) infiltration, which led to altered levels of CAF- and TAM-derived secreted cytokines (such as SDF-1, VEGF, TGF-1β, IL-6, CCL3, CCL4, CCL5, TNF-α, IL-8, and bFGF). The presence of Shi-Re ZHENG has impact on tumor growth. Chinese herbs for Qing-Re-Hua-Shi (removing heat and dampness) inhibited cancer cell proliferation, invasion, and in vivo metastasis through modification of the tumor microenvironment. Cytokines that are marked in bold have been confirmed by our previous studies.