†These authors contributed equally.
Academic Editor: Graham Pawelec
Background: Gui Shao Tea (GST), a long-aged tea with a Chinese herbal
aroma, can treat many stubborn and malignant diseases, according to traditional
Chinese medicine. This research aimed to discover and define GST, study the
anti-gastric cancer effects of GST extracts and preliminarily elucidate the
mechanism of action in the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway and the gut microbiota.
Methods: GST was analyzed by GC/MS and HPLC. Cell proliferation, the
cell cycle and apoptosis were evaluated by a CCK8 assay and flow cytometry. The
effects of GST extracts on tumor inhibition and survival time were explored by a
gastric cancer xenograft model in nude mice. The PI3K/Akt signaling pathway was
assessed by western blotting and immunohistochemistry. Gut microbiota detection
and fecal microbiota transplantation were performed to examine whether the tumor
inhibition observed in mice was related to gut microbiota changes.
Results: The ingredients in GST, mostly terpenes and their derivatives,
were novel and more concentrated than those in tea made from the branches and
leaves of the same plant species, Camellia sinensis, picked and produced
the same year, while the levels of polyphenols and alkaloids were significantly
reduced. In BGC-823, MGC-803, and SGC-7901 gastric cancer cells, GST extracts
significantly inhibited proliferation (p = 0.037), induced G0/G1 arrest
(p