Inhibitory Effect of Cordyceps sinensis on Experimental Hepatic Metastasis of Melanoma by Suppressing Tumor Cell Invasion

• Published in: Anticancer research 2010-09, Vol.30 (9), p.3429-3433
• Main Authors: KUBO, Erika, YOSHIKAWA, Noriko, KUNITOMO, Masaru, KAGOTA, Satomi, SHINOZUKA, Kazumasa, NAKAMURA, Kazuki
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Antineoplastic Agents - pharmacology; Biological and medical sciences; Cordyceps - chemistry; Female; Gastroenterology. Liver. Pancreas. Abdomen; Hepatocyte Growth Factor; Liver Neoplasms - drug therapy; Liver Neoplasms - secondary; Liver. Biliary tract. Portal circulation. Exocrine pancreas; Medical sciences; Melanoma, Experimental - secondary; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Neoplasm Invasiveness - pathology; Tumors
• ISSN: 0250-7005; 1791-7530

We investigated the anti-metastatic activity of a water extract of Cordyceps sinensis (WECS) using a model of mice injected with B16-F0 mouse melanoma cells into the spleen. WECS administered intraperitoneally reduced the number of metastatic surface nodules of B16-F0 cells in the liver of C57BL/6Cr mice in a dose-dependent manner, and significantly prolonged their survival. To identify the mechanism of the anti-metastatic effect of WECS, we examined its effects on hepatocyte growth factor (HGF)-accelerated invasion of B16-F0 cells using a chemo-invasion assay in vitro. As a result, WECS reduced HGF-accelerated B16-F0 cell invasion in a concentration-dependent manner. These findings suggest that WECS exerts an anti-metastatic action, in part by inhibiting the HGF-accelerated tumor invasiveness of mouse melanoma cells.