Doxorubicin (DOX), a chemotherapeutic drug, often causes many adverse side effects in patients with
cancer, such as
weight loss, motor disability, blood circulation defects, myelosuppression, myocardial injury, joint degeneration, and bone loss. The Chinese herbal medicine Guilu Erxian Glue (GEG) has been used in the prevention and treatment of
osteoarthritis and
osteoporosis for hundreds of years, with considerably fewer side effects. We expected that GEG could serve as a protective and beneficial alternative treatment for DOX-induced adverse side effects. In this study, we evaluated whether GEG can alleviate DOX-induced
weight loss, motor disability, abnormal blood circulation, myelosuppression, myocardial injury, joint degeneration, and bone loss by using
chemotherapy models of synoviocyte cell line HIG-82 and mice. Moreover, we examined the
antioxidant capacity of GEG by using DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl)
free-radical scavenging. Our results revealed that GEG treatment can significantly enhance DPPH
free-radical scavenging and reduce DOX-induced cytotoxicity in synoviocyte HIG-82 cells. In addition, GEG treatment for 2 weeks can significantly relieve
weight loss, enhance exhaustive exercise capacity, improve blood circulation, alleviate myocardial oxidative stress and
inflammation, and strengthen the tibias of DOX-treated mice. Thus, we suggest that GEG treatment can be a protective and alternative
therapy for alleviating
chemotherapy-related side effects such as
weight loss, motor disability, blood circulation defects, and bone loss.