HBD Inhibits the Development of Colitis-Associated Cancer in Mice via the IL-6R/STAT3 Signaling Pathway

Colitis-associated cancer (CAC) is a malignant disease of the colon that is caused by recurrent episodes of chronic intestinal inflammation. Huangqi Baizhu decoction (HBD) is a classic prescription comprised of Radix Astragali and Rhizoma Atractylodis, which are usually used to treat digestive conditions, such as peptic ulcers, colitis, or colorectal carcinoma in clinics. HBD is well known for tonifying qi and spleen based on the theories of traditional Chinese medicine, and has the preponderant effect of alleviating chronic intestinal mucosa damage associated with disease. However, the underlying mechanism behind this is still unknown. In the current study, we employed the AOM/DSS mouse model to analyze the effects of HBD on the development of inflammation in colonic carcinoma. The in vivo study showed that HBD could significantly reduce the mortality of mice and control the incidence and size of colonic tumors by inhibiting the IL-6/STAT3 signaling pathway. In vitro, Astragaloside and Atractylenolide (CAA), the main components of HBD, inhibited the proliferation of HCT-116 cells as determined by an MTT assay. Furthermore, CAA notably suppressed the protein expression of IL-6R, STAT3, Survivin, and Cyclin D1 induced by IL-6 in HCT-116 and RAW264.7 cells. These results suggested that HBD exhibits anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferative effects, inhibiting the development of CAC in mice.