{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,6]],"date-time":"2026-10-06T18:50:21Z","timestamp":1791312621284,"version":"4.3.1"},"reference-count":30,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"10","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,6]],"date-time":"2026-10-06T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1791244800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100003787","name":"Natural Science Foundation of Hebei Province","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["H2021423030"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["H2021423030"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100003787","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100017696","name":"Hebei Province Graduate Innovation Funding Project","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["XCXZZBS2026033"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["XCXZZBS2026033"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100017696","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100017696","name":"Hebei Province Graduate Innovation Funding Project","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["XCXZZBS2026037"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["XCXZZBS2026037"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100017696","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100017696","name":"Hebei Province Graduate Innovation Funding Project","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["XCXZZBS2026022"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["XCXZZBS2026022"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100017696","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS One"],"abstract":"<jats:p>\n                    Shenling Qige Granules (SLQG), derived from the Qing Dynasty formula Qige San recorded in\n                    <jats:italic>Yi Xue Xin Wu<\/jats:italic>\n                    , has been used in clinical practice in China as an adjuvant traditional Chinese medicine preparation for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), but its molecular basis remains unclear. This study investigated the antitumor effects and mechanisms of SLQG using TE-1 xenograft mice and SLQG-containing serum-treated TE-1 cells.\u00a0Transcriptome\u00a0sequencing, network pharmacology, molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulation, and public-database analysis were integrated to prioritize candidate mechanisms. Histological, molecular, cellular, and siRNA-mediated decorin (\n                    <jats:italic>DCN<\/jats:italic>\n                    ) knockdown assays were performed for validation. SLQG, especially at the medium dose, inhibited xenograft tumor growth and increased DCN expression. Transcriptomic analysis highlighted the transforming growth factor-\u03b2 (TGF-\u03b2)\/Smad pathway. In silico analyses suggested that several SLQG-derived compounds, particularly ursolic acid, may be associated with DCN-related regulation. Public-database analysis indicated lower\n                    <jats:italic>DCN<\/jats:italic>\n                    expression in esophageal carcinoma tumor samples than in normal samples and an association with pathological stage. In vivo and in vitro, SLQG increased DCN expression, reduced Smad2\/3 phosphorylation, promoted pro-apoptotic signaling, and induced G\n                    <jats:sub>0<\/jats:sub>\n                    \/G\n                    <jats:sub>1<\/jats:sub>\n                    arrest; these effects were attenuated by\n                    <jats:italic>DCN<\/jats:italic>\n                    knockdown. These findings suggest that SLQG inhibited ESCC progression in TE-1 xenograft and cell-based models, potentially through modulation of the DCN-associated TGF-\u03b2\/Smad signaling axis.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0359405","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,6]],"date-time":"2026-10-06T17:52:17Z","timestamp":1791309137000},"page":"e0359405","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Shenling Qige Granules inhibit esophageal squamous cell carcinoma progression in TE-1 xenograft and cell-based models by modulating the DCN\u2013TGF-\u03b2\/Smad signaling axis"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"21","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0009-1485-1889","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Zihui","family":"Liu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Hebei University of Chinese Medicine","place":["Shijiazhuang, Hebei, P.R. China"],"department":["Graduate School"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yiting","family":"Gu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Hebei University of Chinese Medicine","place":["Shijiazhuang, Hebei, P.R. China"],"department":["Graduate School"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3200-9371","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Huanfang","family":"Fan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The First Affiliated Hospital of Hebei University of Chinese Medicine","place":["Shijiazhuang, Hebei, P.R. China"],"department":["Second Department of Oncology"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mao","family":"Huang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The First Affiliated Hospital of Hebei University of Chinese Medicine","place":["Shijiazhuang, Hebei, P.R. China"],"department":["Department of Pediatric Rehabilitation"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Dehui","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The First Affiliated Hospital of Hebei University of Chinese Medicine","place":["Shijiazhuang, Hebei, P.R. China"],"department":["Second Department of Oncology"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Wen","family":"Guo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Hebei University of Chinese Medicine","place":["Shijiazhuang, Hebei, P.R. China"],"department":["Graduate School"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yun","family":"He","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Hebei University of Chinese Medicine","place":["Shijiazhuang, Hebei, P.R. China"],"department":["Graduate School"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Shuang","family":"Zhang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The First Affiliated Hospital of Hebei University of Chinese Medicine","place":["Shijiazhuang, Hebei, P.R. China"],"department":["Second Department of Oncology"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Zhihua","family":"Du","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The First Affiliated Hospital of Hebei University of Chinese Medicine","place":["Shijiazhuang, Hebei, P.R. 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Chen","year":"2017","journal-title":"Oncotarget"},{"issue":"21","key":"pone.0359405.ref028","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"11486","DOI":"10.3390\/ijms222111486","article-title":"Ursolic acid accelerates paclitaxel-induced cell death in esophageal cancer cells by suppressing Akt\/FOXM1 signaling cascade","volume":"22","author":"RY Meng","year":"2021","journal-title":"Int J Mol Sci"},{"issue":"4","key":"pone.0359405.ref029","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"296","DOI":"10.1111\/1759-7714.12441","article-title":"Influence of tanshinone IIA on apoptosis of human esophageal carcinoma Eca-109 cells and its molecular mechanism","volume":"8","author":"Y Zhang","year":"2017","journal-title":"Thorac Cancer"},{"key":"pone.0359405.ref030","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"112166","DOI":"10.1016\/j.biopha.2021.112166","article-title":"Regulation of decorin by ursolic acid protects against non-alcoholic steatohepatitis","volume":"143","author":"Y Zheng","year":"2021","journal-title":"Biomed Pharmacother"}],"container-title":["PLOS One"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/dx.plos.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.0359405","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,6]],"date-time":"2026-10-06T17:52:26Z","timestamp":1791309146000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/dx.plos.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.0359405"}},"subtitle":[],"editor":[{"given":"Tohru","family":"Yamada","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"The University of Illinois at Chicago","place":["UNITED STATES OF AMERICA"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"editor"}]}],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,6]]},"references-count":30,"journal-issue":{"issue":"10","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,6]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.0359405","relation":{},"ISSN":["1932-6203"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1932-6203","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,6]]}}}