Objective: The aim of this article is to study the inhibitory effects of baicalin on the growth and metastasis of orthotopic xenografts consisting of human HCT-116 colorectal cancer cells that are deficient in the mismatch repair gene hMLH1 in nude mice.
Methods: A fluorescent orthotopic transplantation model of HCT-116 cells was established. The treatment groups were administered baicalin 50 mg/kg (G2), 100 mg/kg (G3), and 200 mg/kg (G4), and the negative control group (G1) was administered 5 % NaHCO₃. The volume and vascular density of the primary tumors, body weights, survival conditions, and death rates of the mice were analyzed.
Results: On the 14th, 21st, and 28th days, tumor volume in the treatment groups was significantly smaller than that in the control group, and the differences were statistically significant. At the end of the experiment, the survival rate of the experimental animals in the G3 was significantly higher than that in the G1 and G4 (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences in both the weights and surface vascular densities of the primary tumor and the metastatic tumor among all groups.
Conclusion: Baicalin had a significant inhibitory effect on the growth of nude mouse orthotopic xenografts consisting of human HCT-116 colorectal tumor cells that are deficient in the mismatch repair gene hMLH1.