Study on the Adjuvant Therapeutic Effects of Cordyceps militaris on Thyroid Cancer Chemotherapy Using the Constructed 8505C-EGFP Cell Line

CHEN Lan^1,2, GAO Yuanyuan³, WANG Yutao^1*, ZHANG Jin^2,3*

(¹College of Life and Geographic Sciences, Key Laboratory of Biological Resources and Ecology of Pamirs Plateauin Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Kashi University, Kashi 844000, China; ²College of Biological and Chemical Engineering, Jiaxing University, Jiaxing 314001, China; ³Jiaxing i-Bio Biotechnology Co., Ltd, Jiaxing 314050, China)

Abstract:

This study established the 8505C-EGFP thyroid cancer cell line, labeled with EGFP (enhanced green fluorescent protein), to investigate the effects of Cordyceps militaris-assisted chemotherapy with Cisplatin in thyroid cancer treatment. The pEGFP-N2 plasmid carrying the EGFP gene was introduced into 8505C thyroid cancer cells. After selection with G418 and FACS (fluorescence-activated cell sorting), a stable 8505C-EGFP cell line with consistent EGFP expression was successfully generated. Next, the article conducted a comparative analysis of the proliferation, colony formation, and migration abilities of 8505C and 8505C-EGFP cells to characterize the properties of the 8505C-EGFP cell line. The 8505C-EGFP cells was used to evaluate the effects of combined treatment with Cisplatin and water extract of CM (Cordyceps militaris) on the proliferation, migration, and invasion of thyroid cancer cells. Finally, the subcutaneous xenograft model of nude mice was established by injecting 8505C-EGFP cells to validate the therapeutic efficacy of Cisplatin and Cordyceps militaris combination treatment on thyroid tumors in vivo. The results showed that the proliferation, colony formation, and migration abilities of the 8505C-EGFP cell line were not significantly different from those of the original 8505C cell line. Both Cisplatin and Cordyceps militaris inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion of 8505C-EGFP cells in vitro, but the combined treatment exhibited significantly stronger inhibitory effects compared with either treatment alone. Using the subcutaneous xenograft model in nude mice, 8505C-EGFP cells was demonstrated to have a tracer effect in vivo and the combined treatment of Cisplatin and Cordyceps militaris also significantly suppressed tumor growth in vivo. In conclusion, this study successfully established the 8505C-EGFP thyroid cancer cell line and used this tool to demonstrate that the combination of Cordyceps militaris and Cisplatin has a pronounced inhibitory effect on thyroid tumors.

CSTR: 32200.14.cjcb.2025.02.0002