Herbal Extra

The use of herbal intervention is widespread in all regions of the developing world, and is rapidly growing in industrialized countries. Despite broad use, there are insufficient scientific data on the safety and efficacy of herbal therapies. Some herbs have been shown to possess anticancer activities, but how they work is poorly understood. Lack of scientific evidence showing the molecular pathways of their action diminishes their clinical utility. Therefore, basic research aimed at elucidating the mechanisms of action underlying the herbal effects should have a high priority.

Regardless of peripheral mediators, the behavior of a cell is ultimately dictated by its genetic profile. Thus, investigating changes in gene expression profiles as a result of herbal treatment may help define the underlying mechanisms of action and validate the efficacy of these anticancer herbs. Microarrays have emerged as invaluable tools in characterization and examination of gene expression. This technology allows monitoring gene expression of hundreds and thousands of genes simultaneously. Thus, it is possible to generate more comprehensive data on changes that occur within a cell as a result of treatment, and identify specific signaling pathways activated by the treatment.

Huanglian (Coptidis rhizoma) is a herb that is widely used in traditional Chinese medicine as an antimicrobial in the treatment of dysentery, gastroenteritis as well as other inflammatory conditions, such as pneumonia and infection of the head and face. Recent studies have shown that huanglian extract and its major component, berberine, possess anticancer activities, as indicated by their abilities to inhibit cell growth and induce apoptosis in several different cancer cell lines. Despite these reports, huanglian's role as an anticancer agent has not been established. To identify potential anticancer pathways for huanglian in human breast cancer, we examined the molecular effects of this herb in two breast cancer cell lines using a DNA microarray technology. We found that upregulation of the two anticancer cytokines, interferon-ß (IFN-ß) and tumor necrosis factor- (TNF-), may be responsible for the potent antiproliferative effect of huanglian in MCF-7 cancer cells.