2. Academic Validation
  3. Babaodan suppresses inflammatory and vascular microenvironment in triple-negative breast cancer by inhibiting the cGAS-STING/NF-κB signaling pathway

Babaodan suppresses inflammatory and vascular microenvironment in triple-negative breast cancer by inhibiting the cGAS-STING/NF-κB signaling pathway

  • J Ethnopharmacol. 2026 Jun 12:364:121515. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2026.121515.
Baoyong Lai 1,  Wenxuan Zeng 2,  Bangyan Zhou 3,  Ruobing Liu 3,  Penghua Lai 3,  Jie Ren 4,  Ruifu Chen 1,  Li Che 5,  Xiyi Chen 5,  Xiaohua Pei 6,  Yan Qiu 7
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Xiamen Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Xiamen, China.
  • 2 School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
  • 3 School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China.
  • 4 School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China; Xiamen Key Laboratory of Chiral Drugs, Xiamen, China.
  • 5 Xiamen Key Laboratory of Research and Development of Traditional Chinese Patent Medicine, Xiamen, China.
  • 6 Xiamen Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Xiamen, China; Third Affiliated Hospital of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
  • 7 School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China; Xiamen Key Laboratory of Chiral Drugs, Xiamen, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
PMID: 41819510 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2026.121515
Abstract

Ethnopharmacological relevance: The traditional Chinese medicine compound Babaodan (BBD), originating from Ming Dynasty in China, is known for its "clearing heat, removing toxins, circulating blood and transforming stasis" effects. Recent evidence increasingly highlights its potential in tumor treatment. However, its efficacy and underlying pharmacological mechanisms in triple-negative breast Cancer (TNBC) remain underexplored.

Aim of the study: This study aimed to investigate the therapeutic potential of the traditional Chinese medicine Babaodan (BBD) on the inflammatory and vascular microenvironment in TNBC.

Materials and methods: Using a 4T1 tumor-bearing mouse model, the effects of BBD on tumor inflammatory and vascular microenvironment were evaluated through histopathology, immunofluorescence, and immunohistochemical staining. Furthermore, serum metabolomics was employed to identify the active components and relevant pharmacological mechanisms of BBD in regulating TNBC, with validation performed by Western blot.

Results: Our findings demonstrated that BBD treatment significantly inhibited the activation of cGAS-STING/NF-κB signaling pathway, evidenced by reducing phosphorylation levels of STING, TBK1, IRF3, p65, and IκBα. This led to a sharp decline in downstream inflammatory cytokines, thereby ameliorating the tumor inflammatory microenvironment. Concurrently, BBD also alleviated tumor hypoxia and promoted vascular normalization, restoring intratumoral blood perfusion.

Conclusion: These results suggested that BBD exerted its dual anti-tumor effects by suppressing the cGAS-STING/NF-κB signaling pathway, effectively improving the inflammatory and vascular microenvironment in TNBC. This study provides a novel theoretical basis and potential therapeutic strategy for the application of traditional medicine in TNBC treatment.

Keywords

Babaodan; Triple negative breast cancer; Tumor inflammation microenvironment; Tumor vascular normalization.

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