Objective: To observe the effect of Dioscorea pills on the immunity of mice with ovarian cancer after chemotherapy and its mechanism of action. Methods: BALB/C mice were randomly divided into blank group, ovarian cancer model group, chemotherapy group and chemotherapy plus TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) group with 20 mice in each group. Except the blank group, 60 mice in other groups were subcutaneously injected with SKOV-3 ovarian cancer cell suspension at the right buttock to build a tumor-bearing mouse model. After tumor formation, the chemotherapy group and the chemotherapy plus TCM group were intraperitoneally injected with Docetaxel. Next day, the chemotherapy plus TCM group was given Dioscorea pills by gavage, while the other three groups were given equal quantity of normal saline. All mice were sacrificed 21 days after treatment. The white blood cell count and serum levels of IL-2 and TNF-α were measured. Results: Compared with the model group and the ovarian cancer model group, the levels of IL-2 and white blood cell count of the chemotherapy group and the chemotherapy plus TCM group were significantly decreased (P < 0.05), while the levels of TNF-α were significantly increased (P < 0.05). Compared with the chemotherapy group, the levels of IL-2 of the chemotherapy plus TCM group were greatly increased (P < 0.05); the level of TNF-α was slightly increased without significant difference (P > 0.05). Conclusions: Dioscorea pills can improve the immunity of mice with ovarian cancer after chemotherapy.
Cite this paper
Tang, Y. and Xu, H. (2019). Effect of Dioscorea Pills on Immunity of Mice Receiving Chemotherapy for Ovarian Cancer. Open Access Library Journal, 6, e5247. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/oalib.1105247.
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