OBJECTIVETo study the effect of Fuzheng Sanjie recipe in regulating tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) in Lewis lung cancer mice.

METHODEfforts were made to establish the Lewis lung cancer mouse model, weigh tumors and calculate the anti-tumor rate. The immunohistochemical method was used to examine the infiltration degree of CD68 + in tumor tissues in each group. ELISA was used to examine the content of IFN-γ, TGF-β, IL-4, IL-13, IL-6, IL-10, IL-12, TNF-α in mice serum.

RESULTCompared with the tumor-bearing model group, all of the other groups showed higher tumor inhibition rates, i. e. 50.28% for the DDP group, 34.37% for the TCM-preventing group and 66.76% for the Chinese and western medicine group, with statistical difference (P < 0.05), but without statistical difference in the infiltration degree of CD68+. The expressions of the IFN-γ, IL-6, IL-12 in tumor-bearing groups were lower than that in the blank control group, but with higher contents of IL-4, IL-13, TGF-β. Intervened with different drugs, there were significant differences in content among some relevant cytokines (P < 0.05), as well as statistical differences among the TCM prevention group, the Chinese and western medicine group and the tumor-bearing control group (P <0. 05) , but without statistical difference in TNF-α and IL-10 content from the tumor-bearing control group (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONFuzheng Sanjie recipe could reverse the immune remodeling effect and control the tumor growth by down-regulating the expressions of IL-4, IL-13, TGF-α in lung cancer immune microenvironment and up-regulating the expression of IFN-γ.