Establishment of Hepatocarcinoma in BALB/c-nu Mice and Investigation of the Therapeutic Effect of the Sanleng Jiashen Formula

The lethality of liver cancer and the resistance to chemical drugs have forced the search for effective prescriptions of traditional herbs for liver cancer. Animal models that are repeatable, easy to manipulate, and highly mimic the pathophysiological processes of liver cancer are the prerequisite for the successful screening of effective drug candidates. Meanwhile, reliable drug efficacy evaluation indicators and means are also the guarantee of anti-liver cancer drug research and development.

Sanleng Jiashen formula, a representative prescription of traditional Chinese medicine containing Sparganium stoloni erum, Buch. -Ham. (Sanleng), Panax ginseng C. A. Mey. (ginseng), Rheum officinale Baill. (rhubarb), and Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort. (Chuanxiong), is prescribed to nourish the liver and clear heat, remove toxins, and promote blood circulation to treat liver cancer. This experimental protocol describes the preparation of lyophilized Sanleng Jiashen formula and the establishment process of in-situ liver cancer in BALB/c-nu mice. Histopathological staining, immunohistochemical detection of cancer markers, in vivo imaging of mice, and chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane test were used to explore the inhibition and anti-angiogenesis effect of Sanleng Jiashen formula on malignant proliferation of liver cancer tissue. The data show that the Sanleng Jiashen formula can effectively resist the malignant proliferation of liver cancer tissue, which is manifested by reduced tumor mass volume, improved pathological damage, and lower levels of the cancer marker ki67.

The superior inhibition of angiogenesis also suggests that the Sanleng Jiashen formula may have the potential to treat and prevent the progression and deterioration of liver cancer. The whole experimental scheme shows a comprehensive process of traditional Chinese medicine components in the treatment of mouse liver cancer, which provides a reference for the establishment and optimization of a liver cancer model, as well as the research and development of drugs to prevent and treat liver cancer.