PET Imaging on Dynamic Metabolic Changes after Combination Therapy of Paclitaxel and the Traditional Chinese Medicine in Breast Cancer-Bearing Mice

Purpose The aim of the study was to non-invasively evaluate the anticancer activity of a traditional Chinese medicine—Huaier, combined with paclitaxel (PTX) in breast cancer bearing mice by detecting dynamic metabolic changes with positron emission tomography (PET). Procedures Balb/c nude mice were randomly divided into one of the four groups: Huaier, PTX, PTX + Huaier, or the control. PET imaging with 2-deoxy-2-[ 18 F]fluoro- d -glucose ([ 18 F]FDG) was performed to monitor the metabolic changes in BT474 (luminal B) and MDA-MB-231 (triple-negative) breast cancer xenografts. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) study was performed immediately after the final PET scan to assess the expressions of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), phospho-AKT (p-AKT), caspase-3, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Results Compared to the control group, [ 18 F]FDG accumulation demonstrated a significant decrease in PTX + Huaier ( p < 0.01) or Huaier group ( p < 0.05), which was consistent to the decreased expression of PI3K ( p < 0.05) and p-AKT ( p < 0.05) in the breast cancer xenografts. Conclusion The therapeutic effect of Huaier combined with PTX was superior than the PTX alone in BT474 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer-bearing mice. [ 18 F]FDG PET imaging could be a potential non-invasive approach to assess the metabolic changes after chemotherapy combined with traditional Chinese medicine in the breast cancer.