Table 4.
Effect of TCM on immune response of tumor cells.
| TCM | Tumor type | Effects | Main mechanisms | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upregulation of Classic MHC Molecules | |||||
| EPS (TCM component) |
In vitro, DCS cells | Could improve the expression of MHC-II, CD40, CD80, and CD86 in DCS cells and their ability of antigen uptake as well as secretion of IL-12 and TNF-α | Inhibiting phosphorylation of JAK2 and STAT3 and promoting the NF-κB signal pathway | (Song et al., 2013) | |
| ISD formula |
In vivo, in spleen-deficient liver cancer rats | Could suppress the development of cachexia caused by transplantable tumor and improve the survival of mice | Increasing MHC I/II expression in liver tissues | (Wang et al., 2008; Li et al., 2014) | |
| Inhibition of PD-1/PD-L1 signaling | |||||
| BFD formula |
In vitro and in vivo, A549 and H1975 cells and murine xenograft models of NSCLC | Could inhibit tumor growth and prolong the survival in mice | Blocking the crosstalk between TAMs and cancer cells through decreasing IL-10 and PD-L1 | (Pang et al., 2017) | |
| QYSL formula |
In vivo, a LLC-xenografted murine model | Could inhibit tumor growth | High dose QYSL inhibited tumor growth by reducing PD-1 in spleen and PD-L1. | (Zhang X. et al., 2016) | |
| GQD formula |
In vivo, a murine xenograft model of CT26 CRC | Could inhibit tumor growth of CRC and modulate the gut microbiome composition. | Combination therapy with GQD and anti-PD-1 induced the frequency of CD8+ T cells in tumor tissues and peripheral blood. They also increased IFN-γ and IL-2, but decreased PD-1. | (Lv et al., 2019) | |
| Inhibition of CSCs | |||||
| PZH formula |
In vitro, HT-29 CRC stem-like SP cells | Could reduce the population and viability and sphere-forming capacity of HT-29 SP cells | Inhibiting ABCB1 and ABCG2 | (Wei et al., 2014) | |
| Huaier (TCM component) |
In vitro, MCF7 breast cancer cells | Could decrease the viabilities, numbers, sizes of mammospheres and the proportion of cells expressing CD44+/CD24-, and reduce the levels of stem cell markers | Partially dependent on the hedgehog pathway | (Wang et al., 2014) | |
| In vitro, primary CRC cells (T1 and T2 cells) | Could inhibit the potential of spheroid formation and the population of ALDH−positive cell | Downregulating the Wnt/β−catenin pathway | (Zhang et al., 2013) | ||
EPS, the exopolysaccharide from an anamorph of Cordyceps sinensis; ISD, Invigorating Spleen and Detoxification Decoction; DCS, dendritic cell sarcoma; GQD, Gegen Qinlian decoction; CRC, colorectal cancer; BFD, Bu Fei Decoction; NSCLC, non-small cell lung cancer; QYSL, Qiyusanlong decoction; LLC, Lewis lung cancer; CSCs, cancer stem cells; PZH, Pien Tze Huang; Huaier, Trametes robiniophila Murr.; ALDH, aldehyde dehydrogenase.