Interactions of Black Cohosh with Cancer Therapy

描述(由申请人提供) 黑升麻(Cimicifuga Racemosa)是一种广泛使用的草药，通常被认为是治疗更年期症状的安全有效的天然药物，医生建议女性避免激素替代疗法(HRT)，因为她们患乳腺癌的风险很高，或者因为她们被诊断为乳腺癌而停止HRT。一些销售这种草药的商贩建议说，黑升麻“可能有助于”乳腺癌。这种草药在乳腺癌患者接受化疗和放射治疗时被广泛使用。我们实验室的研究表明，三种商业黑升麻提取物显著增加了细胞培养中的乳腺癌细胞对阿霉素的反应。对其中一种提取物的进一步测试显示，对泰索帝的增敏作用中等，对顺铂的保护作用轻微，对放射敏感性没有明显影响。这个项目的目标是检查这些发现的治疗意义。以生长于SPF级BALB/c-RW小鼠体内的EMT6小鼠乳腺癌为研究对象，研究黑升麻对肿瘤和体内正常组织治疗反应的影响。对肿瘤的影响将通过定量实验进行评估，其中测量和比较对照肿瘤、单独用药治疗的肿瘤和黑升麻加药物治疗的肿瘤的生长情况。我们还将检查这些治疗对骨髓祖细胞(CFU-GM/MK)存活的影响，骨髓是一种限制癌症化疗强度的组织。另一系列研究将检验黑升麻提取物对阿霉素、泰索帝、顺铂和辐射对细胞培养中的人乳腺癌细胞的毒性的影响。这些研究将评估在老鼠细胞中看到的影响是否也发生在人类细胞中。我们过去研究的数据表明，这种草药可能会改变标准癌症化疗药物在治疗癌症方面的有效性，并可能改变这些药物的毒性。本项目将评估这些可能性。这些发现将显示这种草药是否不活跃和无害，对乳腺癌患者是否有潜在危险，或者在治疗这种疾病方面是否有潜在价值。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant) Black cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa), is a widely used herbal medicine which is often assumed to be a safe and effective natural remedy for menopausal symptoms in women who have been advised by their doctors to avoid hormone replacement therapy (HRT) because they are at high risk for breast cancer or to discontinue HRT because they have been diagnosed with breast cancer. Some vendors of this herb advise that black cohosh "may help" breast cancer. This herb is widely used by breast cancer patients while they are receiving chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Studies in our laboratory showed that three commercially available black cohosh extracts significantly increase the response of breast cancer cells in cell culture to Adriamycin. Further tests with one of these extracts showed moderate sensitization to Taxotere, slight protection from Cisplatin, and no discernable effect on radiosensitivity. The goal of this project is to examine the therapeutic implications of these findings. A well characterized transplantable syngeneic tumor host system, the EMT6 mouse mammary carcinoma growing in SPF BALB/c Rw mice, will be used to study the effect of black cohosh on the response of tumors and normal tissues in vivo to cancer therapy. Effects on tumors will be assessed using quantitative experiments in which the growth of control tumors, tumors treated with drug alone, and tumors treated with black cohosh plus drug is measured and compared. We will also examine the effects of these treatments on the survival of the progenitor cells (CFU-GM/MK) of the bone marrow, a tissue which limits the intensity of cancer chemotherapy. Another series of studies will examine the effect of black cohosh extracts on the toxicity of Adriamycin, Taxotere, Cisplatin and radiation to human breast cancer cells in cell culture. These studies will assess whether the effects seen in mouse cells also occur in human cells. Data from our past studies suggest that this herb could change the effectiveness of standard cancer chemotherapeutic agents in treating cancer and could alter the toxicities of these drugs. This project will assess these possibilities. The findings will show whether this herb is inactive and harmless, potentially dangerous to breast cancer patients, or of potential value in the treatment of this disease.