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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Immunol.
Sec. Cancer Immunity and Immunotherapy
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1530053
This article is part of the Research Topic Herbal Medicines’ Safety and Clinical Application: New Strategies for Overcoming Therapeutic Challenges View all 6 articles
Yiqi Huayu Jiedu Decoction reduces colorectal cancer liver metastasis by promoting N1 neutrophil chemotaxis
Provisionally accepted
Hua-Jian Zhou * Bai-Xiang Mu * Meng-Chao Wen * Qi Zhao *
Yunxiang Li Wen-Xuan Zhao * Hong-Ye Yin *
Shuai Ren *
Jin-Yong Zhou * Min Chen *- Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
To observe the inhibitory effect and potential mechanism of Yiqi Huayu Jiedu Decoction (YHJD) on liver metastasis of colorectal cancer (CRC).We compared the changes of liver weight and liver index before and after YHJD treatment in CRC liver metastasis mouse models. HE staining was employed to observe the pathological changes in mouse liver tissue sections. Flow cytometry was used to analyze the number and marker of neutrophils treated with YHJD. Transcriptomics, proteomics, and multiplex cytokine array analyses were conducted to further verify the role of YHJD on CXCL1. Differential gene analysis was performed to further explore the mechanism by which YHJD inhibits liver metastasis of CRC.Results: Animal studies demonstrated that YHJD reduces liver metastases. Flow cytometry results revealed that YHJD promotes N1 neutrophils in liver. Combining multi-omics and multiple cytokine arrays, we observed a significant increase in the expression of CXCL1 in the liver and plasma. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses indicated that YHJD may regulate the chemotaxis of neutrophils to inhibit the liver metastasis of CRC by participating in the regulation of cell adhesion molecule binding, adhesion protein binding, and multiple metabolic pathways.Conclusions: YHJD inhibits CRC liver metastasis by upregulating CXCL1, thereby promoting N1 neutrophil chemotaxis towards the liver, and concurrently raising the expression of N1 neutrophilmarkers.
Keywords: colorectal cancer, liver metastasis, Yiqi Huayu Jiedu Decoction, CXCL1, neutrophils Abbreviations:YHJD,Yiqi Huayu Jiedu Decoction, CRC,colorectal cancer, TME,tumor microenvironment, FBS,fetal bovine serum, HE,Hematoxylin-eosin staining, PolyA,polyadenylate, GO,Gene Ontology, KEGG,Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes
Received: 18 Nov 2024; Accepted: 12 Feb 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zhou, Mu, Wen, Zhao, Li, Zhao, Yin, Ren, Zhou and Chen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Hua-Jian Zhou, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
Bai-Xiang Mu, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
Meng-Chao Wen, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
Qi Zhao, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
Wen-Xuan Zhao, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
Hong-Ye Yin, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
Shuai Ren, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
Jin-Yong Zhou, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
Min Chen, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
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