Objective To observe the effects of Astragalus polysaccharides on the growth, metastasis and cell cycle of Lewis lung cancer in tumor-bearing mice with Qi and Yin deficiency.

Methods Lewis lung cancer cells cultured in vitro were randomly divided into control group and Chinese medicine group. Cell cycle was detected by flow cytometry. Among 90 C57BL/6J mice, 10 mice were taken as blank group, and the other 80 mice were treated with Chinese medicine and gastric perfusion of warm smoked shavings. The mice bearing transplanted Lewis lung cancer solid tumor with Qi and Yin deficiency were randomly divided into eight groups. Mice tumor inhibition rate and q value were compared. Peripheral blood cells and bone marrow cells were counted and ELISA was applied to detect the content of serum IL-2, IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-10, HIF-1α, VEGF and MMP-2.

Results Astragalus polysaccharide arrested Lewis lung cancer cells in S phase; with the increase of drug concentration, cell apoptosis increased gradually; the tumor inhibition rates in the drug combination groups were higher than those of Astragalus polysaccharide groups and cisplatin group, q value was 0.85-1.15; compared with cisplatin group, the number of peripheral blood cells and bone marrow cells, the content of IL-2, INF-γ and TNF-α in moderate-and high-dose drug combination groups were significantly increased, while the content of IL-10, HIF-1α, VEGF and MMP-2 were significantly decreased (P < 0.05, P < 0.01).

Conclusion Astragalus polysaccharides in vitro has inhibitory effect on Lewis lung cancer cells; its combination with cisplatin in vivo could inhibit the growth and metastasis of Lewis lung cancer cells, increase the number of peripheral blood cells and bone marrow cells, the content of IL-2, INF-γ and TNF-α, and reduce the content of IL-10, HIF-1α, VEGF and MMP-2 in tumor-bearing mice with Qi and Yin deficiency.