Shenmai injection enhances the cytotoxicity of chemotherapeutic drugs against colorectal cancers via improving their subcellular distribution.

ABSTRACT: Shenmai injection (SMI) is a Chinese patent-protected injection, which was mainly made of Red Ginseng and Radix Ophiopogonis and widely used for treating coronary heart disease and tumors by boosting Qi and nourishing Yin. In this study we examined whether SMI could produce direct synergetic effects on the cytoxicity of adriamycin (ADR) and paclitaxel (PTX) in colorectal cancers in vivo and in vitro, and explored the underlying pharmacokinetic mechanisms. BALB/c nude mice with LoVo colon cancer xenografts were intraperitoneally injected with ADR (2 mg·kg^-1·3d^-1) or PTX (7.5 mg·kg^-1·3d^-1) with or without SMI (0.01 mL·g^-1·d^-1) for 13 d. Co-administration of SMI significantly enhanced the chemotherapeutic efficacy of ADR and PT

SUBMITTER: Liu WY 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5309759 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature