Effects of compound Kushen injection on pathology and angiogenesis of tumor tissues

Effects of compound Kushen injection on pathology and angiogenesis of tumor tissues were investigated. Forty nude mice were used to establish the liver cancer model of nude mice, and were divided into model group (n=10), low-dose compound Kushen injection group (n=10), medium-dose compound Kushen injection group (n=10) and high-dose compound Kushen injection group (n=10). When the tumor volume reached 0.5 cm3, 200, 400 and 600 µl of compound Kushen were injected into the mice of the low-, medium- and high-dose compound Kushen injection groups, respectively, for 3 consecutive days; while 400 µl normal saline were injected into the mice of the model group. At 9 days after treatment, the mice were sacrificed, and the tumor was taken and weighed. The tumor inhibition rate was calculated, α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and cluster of differentiation 31 (CD31) were detected via immunohistochemistry, and the vascular maturity index (VMI) and microvessel density (MVD) were also detected. With the increase of compound Kushen injection dose, the tumor mass was decreased significantly (P<0.05), and the tumor inhibition rate was obviously increased (P<0.05). In the model group, the nuclei were large and deeply stained, and there were many mitotic figures, and more small blood vessels could be seen. In the three Kushen injection groups, the number of mitotic figures was slightly decreased, and the vascular distribution was reduced. With the increase of compound Kushen injection dose, MVD of transplanted tumor was decreased significantly, but VMI was increased significantly (P<0.05). Compound Kushen injection can reduce the angiogenesis in tumor tissues and play a role in inhibiting tumor growth. Therefore, anti-angiogenesis may be one of the important mechanisms of compound Kushen injection in inhibiting tumor growth.