Table 4.
Regulation the cancer immunity of some compounds/herbs from TCMs.
| Compound/herb | Immune cell | Cancer type | Regulation mechanism |
|---|---|---|---|
| Astragaloside IV extracted from Astragalus126 | M2-type macrophage | A549 and H1299 cells, Lewis lung cancer | Reduced the growth, invasion, migration, and angiogenesis of lung cancer by blocking the macrophages polarization partially through the AMPK signaling pathway |
| Rhodiola127 | Granulocyte-macrophage, lymphocytes | Breast cancer | Enhanced the levels of IL-2, IL-4 and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor; increased the proliferation of lymphocytes and white blood cell (WBC) count |
| Crassocephalum crepidioides128 | RAW264.7 macrophages | S-180 cells | Decreased tumor growth, induced NF-κB signaling pathway for releasing nitric oxide (NO) |
| Soyasapogenols extracted from soybean129 | M2-type and M1-type macrophages | U373, SaOS2 and LM8 tumor cells | Inhibited the M2 polarization and increased the secretion of IL-12, suppressed the activation of STAT3 and the proliferation of these tumor cells |
| Soyasapogenols B129 | Macrophage | LM8 tumor cells | Delayed subcutaneous tumor development and lung metastasis, induced anti-tumor immune response |
| A standardized herbal extract130 | Macrophage | Low-risk prostate cancer | Stimulated phagocytosis and the expression of inflammatory mediators (C4b, CXCL3, lymphotoxin, NOS2, TLRI, TNE, and TNFSF14), suppressed the tumor size, increased splenocyte cytotoxicity and numbers of CD8 T cells, macrophages, and dendritic cells in the spleens |
| Astragalus polysaccharides and Codonopsis polysaccharides131 | Dendritic cells (DCs), CD4+ and CD8+ T cell | 4T1 breast cancer | Enhanced mouse CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell proliferation and anti-4T1 metastasis activity, increased expression of CD40, CD80 and CD86, activated immune cells by mediating the expression of cytokines/chemokines |
| Lupanol132 | NK cells | BGC823, N87 and HGC27 of human gastric cancer cells | Promoted the proliferation of NK cells, inhibit the proliferation of BGC823, N87 and HGC27, and increased the killing effect of NK cells on gastric cancer cells, via the activated of PI3K/AKT and WNT/B-catenin signaling pathways for increasing PFP, IFN-γ, and CD107a expression |
| Icariin or 3,5,7-trihydroxy-4′-methoxy-8- (3-hydroxy-3-methylbutyl)-flavone133 | MDSCs | 4T1-Neu tumors | Reduced MRP8/MRP14 and toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) expression, inhibited tumor growth in 4T1-Neu tumor-bearing mice and decreased MDSC numbers in the spleen, restarted IFN-γ production, decreased the production of NO and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in MDSC, decreased the expression of S100A8/9 and inhibition of activation of STAT3 and AKT |
| Glycoprotein ZPDC extracted from Chinese prickly ash134 | NK cells | Liver cancer cells | Induced secretion of perforin and granzyme B, NK cells activity and apoptosis-related factors (BID, cytochrome c, and caspase-3) in liver tissues |
| Shugan Jianpi formula135 | CD8+ T cells and MDSCs | Breast cancer | Reduced CD8+ T lymphocyte apoptosis and tumor cell activity, increased immune surveillance capability, and inhibited MDSC proliferation |
| Shikonin136 | DCs | B16 tumor cells | Increased the population of skin DCs migrating into the draining lymph nodes and cytotoxic T lymphocyte activities in B16 tumor model |
| Ginsenoside or ginsenoside Rg3137,138 | DCs and naive T cells | H22 tumor | Enhanced CD1a, CD80, CD83, CD86 and HLA-DR expression and T cell stimulatory capacity, decreased endocytic activity, Naïve T cells turned into typical Th1 cells Inhibited the growth of H22 tumors, enhanced the cellular immunity of H22-bearing mice |
| Tetramethylpyrazine phosphate139 | Macrophages and Th2 cells | Lung cancer | Enhance the expression levels of IFN-γ, IL-2 and T-bet, but reduced type 2 cytokines (IL-4, IL-6, IL-10) and GATA3 |
| Polysaccharide extracted from Glycyrrhizia Radix140 | Treg cells | H22 tumor | Decreased the population of Treg cells and lymph node FOXP3 and IL-10 expression, decreased IL-10 and TGF-β level and increased IL-2 and IL-12p70 level |
| Prunella vulgare141 | B cells | TPC-1 and FTC-133 cell lines | Induced apoptosis in TPC-1 and FTC-133 cell lines, increased BCL-2-associated X protein and caspase-3 expression, and downregulated B-cell 1ymphoma-2 expression in TPC-1 and FTC-133 |
| Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharides142 | Teff/Treg/Th2 cells | Hepatocellular carcinoma | Suppressed tumor growth in hepatoma-bearing mice associated with an increase of the ratio of Teffs/Tregs, increased IL-2 secretion for eliminating Treg suppression of Teff proliferation, inhibited NOTCH1 and FOXP3 expression |