Oral Combination Treatment of Gefitinib and Sasam-Kyeongokgo: Synergistic Effects on the NCI-H520 Tumor Cell Line

The research investigated the combined effects of Gefitinib and Sasam-Kyeongokgo (SKOG) on the NCI-H520 tumor cell line in mice. The study found that the combination treatment significantly reduced tumor volume and weight, and increased spleen weight, submandibular lymph node weight, and periovarian fat weight, indicating improved overall health. The treatment also decreased serum IL-6 content and increased IFN-γ content, suggesting a positive immune response. Furthermore, the combination treatment increased splenic and abdominal NK cell activity and spleen cytokine content, and led to a significant increase in the number of apoptotic cells in the tumor mass. The study concluded that the combination of Gefitinib and SKOG has a substantial synergistic anticancer effect and can significantly reduce the hepatotoxic effects of Gefitinib.