Kang Ru enhances paclitaxel’s efficacy against breast cancer progression

Breast cancer and its associated drug resistance present significant clinical challenges. From a translational medicine perspective, Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine (TCHM) offers promising integrative approach to bridge the experimental findings with clinical application, enhancing cancer treatment outcomes and mitigate drug resistance. In this study, we evaluated a TCM herbal formulation, Kang Ru (KR), comprising <i>Artemisia argyi, Ohwia caudata, and Scoparia dulcis Linn</i>, each traditionally and experimentally recognized for their potential therapeutic properties. We aimed to evaluate the anti-cancer effects of KR on breast cancer and its potential to enhance the efficacy of the chemotherapeutic agent paclitaxel. Using breast cancer cell lines we evaluated the effects of KR, both alone and in combination with paclitaxel on cell growth, viability, migration, and invasion. We further evaluated the potential of KR in enhancing paclitaxel to reduce tumor progression using a breast cancer xenograft model in mice. Our findings demonstrated that KR significantly inhibited cell growth and migration in breast cancer cell lines. Moreover, the combination of KR with paclitaxel demonstrated synergistic effects, effectively reducing cell viability, inducing cell apoptosis and inhibiting cell migration. In an animal model, the combination of KR and paclitaxel significantly enhanced breast cancer suppression, corroborating the in vitro findings. In conclusion, KR is a novel Chinese herbal formulation, with significant anti-cancer potential, enhancing paclitaxel's efficacy in inhibiting breast cancer progression. These findings suggest that KR could be a promising adjunctive strategy to improve breast cancer treatment and warrant further translational research to facilitate its clinical development as a complementary therapeutic option.