Anti-Tumor Activity of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ekki-Youketsu-Fusei-Zai, and Its Effects on Immunocyte Functions

1. A Life-Prolonging Effect and Enhancement of NK Cell Function in Tumor-Bearing Mice

Abstract

 We examined anti-tumor effects of the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Ekki-Youketsu-Fusei-Zai (EYFZ), on survival, tumor size, body weight, and natural killer (NK) cell activity in tumor-bearing mice by using a tumor cell line, colon-26. The significant life-prolonging effect was found, when EYFZ was orally administrated for 28 days, which procedure started just after the subcutaneous implantation of colon-26 cell line. In addition, an oral administration of EYFZ inhibited the tumor growth and the loss of body weight in tumor-bearing mice. The significant increases in splenic NK cell activity of the tumor-bearing mice were also induced by oral administration of EYFZ. These results strongly suggest that EYFZ has the anti-tumor effects on colon-26 implanted mice via augmentation of NK cell activity.