The protective effect of schisandra lignans on stress-evoked hepatic metastases of P815 tumor cells in restraint mice

Aim of the study: The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of schisandra lignans extract (SLE) on stress-evoked hepatic metastases of mastocytoma P815 tumor cells, which was closely related with immune function. Materials and methods: The high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) fingerprint of SLE was recorded and the percentage composition of schisandra lignans was determined as 82.63%. The contributions of the immunomodulatory properties of SLE to the protective effects on stress-induced hepatic metastases were studied. Results: Our results found that restraint stress significantly promoted hepatic metastases of P815 tumor cells. However, oral administration of SLE (100 and 200 mg/kg/d, 14d) significantly reduced the number of metastatic colonies in liver of restrained mice. SLE was further found to be significantly improving T lymphocyte proportions and increasing cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) activity of immunized spleen cells in stressed mice. Conclusion: These results indicated that the protective effects of SLE on hepatic metastases were related to its alleviation of the adverse effects of stressors for bio-homeostasis and immunoprotection. The obtained data provided evidences to elucidate the traditional use of Fructus schisandrae as a tonic or sedative. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.