Inhibitory Effects of Quercetin in Combined with Resveratrol on Growth of Lewis Lung Cancer in Mice

Objective To explore the inhibitory effects and mechanism of quercetin plus resveratrol on the growth of lewis lung cancer in mice. Methods Forty C57BL/6 mice with transplanted Lewis lung cancer were randomly divided into 4 groups with 10 mice in each group:control group,quercetin group,resveratrol group and combined group.Different treatments were served from day 4 and all mice were sacrificed on day 24 after transplantation.Tumor volume,weight and inhibitory rate were compared among the 4 groups.The expression levels of vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF),matrix metalloproteinare-2(MMP-2) and apoptosis index(AI) were detected by immunohistochemistry,western blot and TUNEL,respectively. Results Tumor growth was significantly inhibited in drug-treated groups.Tumor volume and weight in drug-treated groups was lower than that of the control group(P<0.05 or 0.01).The anti-tumor efficacy of quercetin plus resveratrol was significantly higher compared with quercetin or resveratrol alone(P<0.05).Expression levels of VEGF and MMP-2 were decreased in drug-treated groups compared with the control group(P<0.05 or 0.01).AI increased in drug-treated groups compared with the control group(P<0.05 or 0.01).There was significant difference in the VEGF and MMP-2 expression as well as AI between combined group and drug-treated alone group(P<0.01). Conclusion Quercetin in combination with resveratrol had a strong inhibitory effect on the growth of lung cancer which might be related to the down-regulation of VEGF and MMP-2 and as well as the induction of cell apoptosis.