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Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine >

2025 , Vol. 45 >Issue 6: 1295 - 1306

DOI: https://doi.org/10.19852/j.cnki.jtcm.2025.06.009

Original Articles

Wenshen Zhuanggu Fang (温肾壮骨方) reduces breast cancer bone metastasis by regulating macrophage polarization: a bioinformatics analysis combined with experimental validation

  • Yang ZHANG ,
  • Youyang SHI ,
  • Xiaofei LIU ,
  • Rui YANG ,
  • Qiong LI ,
  • Feifei LI ,
  • Xiaojuan YANG ,
  • Yi WANG ,
  • Chenping SUN ,
  • Xianghui HAN ,
  • Sheng LIU
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  • 1 Institute of Chinese Traditional Surgery, Longhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200032, China
    2 Department of breast surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan 250014, China
    3 Department of breast surgery, Shanxi Provincial Cancer Hospital, Taiyuan 030000, China
    4 Department of breast surgery, Yueyang Hospital of Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200000, China
ZHANG Yang and SHI Youyang are co-first authors and contributed equally to this work

Received date: 2024-03-12

  Accepted date: 2024-11-23

  Online published: 2025-11-24

Supported by

Scientific Connotation of Traditional Chinese Medicine "Conghua Theory" by Regulating Metastatic Site-specific Polarization of Macrophages in Breast Cancer Lung and Bone Metastases(81774308);Pharmacodynamic Substances and Mechanism of Wenshen Zhuanggu Recipe Regulating Exocrine Integrin/Sarcoma/Mitogen-activated protein kinase Signal Axis in Intervention of Bone Metastasis Niche Formation in Breast Cancer(82174016)

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Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To explore the mechanism of Wenshen Zhuanggu Fang (温肾壮骨方, WSZG) against breast cancer bone metastasis from the perspective of macrophage polarization through bioinformatics and experiments.

METHODS: Bioinformatics study was used to explore the mechanism underlying the effect of WSZG on breast cancer bone metastasis. Cell viability, migration, invasion and apoptosis assays were performed to detect the influence of WSZG on breast cancer cell MDA-MB-231BO promoted by macrophages. The protein expression level and cytokine content were detected by western blot and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit in vitro. Tumor growth in vivo were performed to evaluate the effects of WSZG on breast cancer bone metastasis. M2/M1 ratio and the maker protein expression were detected by flow cytometry analysis, immun-ohistochemistry and immunofluorescence double staining.

RESULTS: M2 macrophages associated with poor prognosis and may lead to secondary bone metastasis in patients with triple-negative breast cancer. WSZG could treat breast cancer bone metastasis through regulating macrophage polarization by signal transducers and transcription signaling activators (STAT) signaling pathway. WSZG downregulated STAT6, CD206 and Arginase-1, while upregulated STAT1 and Inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase, thus inhibited the M2 macrophage-promoted invasion and migration capabilities of MDA-MB-231BO cells. WSZG treatment suppressed the bone metastasis of breast cancer, and the M2/M1 ratio was reduced by regulating STAT expression in bone metastatic tissue.

CONCLUSION: WSZG inhibited breast cancer bone metastasis by adjusting the promoting effect of macrophages on MDA-MB-231BO breast cancer cells and decreasing M2 polarization by downregulating STAT signaling.

Key words： breast cancer bone metastasis; macrophage polarization; signal transducers and transcription signaling activators; bioinformatics study; Wenshen Zhuanggu formula

Cite this article

Yang ZHANG , Youyang SHI , Xiaofei LIU , Rui YANG , Qiong LI , Feifei LI , Xiaojuan YANG , Yi WANG , Chenping SUN , Xianghui HAN , Sheng LIU . Wenshen Zhuanggu Fang (温肾壮骨方) reduces breast cancer bone metastasis by regulating macrophage polarization: a bioinformatics analysis combined with experimental validation[J]. Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2025 , 45(6) : 1295 -1306 . DOI: 10.19852/j.cnki.jtcm.2025.06.009

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