Anticancer Properties of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Cancer is a systemic disease. Cancer occurrence is associated with several factors, including cell proliferation, apoptosis, metastasis, tumor microenvironment and immune system. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been widely used for thousands of years in China for its anti-cancer therapeutic effect. The advantage of using TCM is related to its action on multiple signaling pathways and molecular targets related to cancer, whilst causing few adverse effects. The review focuses on the most recent studies on TCM through examples that demonstrate the anticancer effects and the mechanisms. The review shows a large number of works which demonstrated that TCM is useful in the treatment of various types of cancers through different mechanisms of action. The results indicate that TCM exerts its anticancer effects through apoptosis induction, proliferation inhibition, metastasis suppression, multidrug resistance reversal and immune function regulation. Moreover, TCM can improve patients' quality of life. The advantage of TCM suggests that TCM may represent a promising therapeutic approach for patients with diverse cancers.

Yan Z ，Lai Z ，Lin J 《-》

Molecular targets of β-elemene, a herbal extract used in traditional Chinese medicine, and its potential role in cancer therapy: A review.

β-Elemene is a sesquiterpene compound extracted from the herb Curcuma Rhizoma and is used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to treat several types of cancer, with no reported severe adverse effects. Recent studies, using in vitro and in vivo studies combined with molecular methods, have shown that β-elemene can inhibit cell proliferation, arrest the cell cycle, and induce cell apoptosis. Recent studies have identified the molecular targets of β-elemene that may have a role in cancer therapy. This review aims to discuss the anticancer potential of β-elemene through its actions on several molecular targets including kinase enzymes, transcription factors, growth factors and their receptors, and proteins. β-Elemene also regulates the expression of several key molecules that are involved in tumor angiogenesis and metastasis including vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), E-cadherin, N-cadherin, and vimentin. Also, β-elemene has been shown to have regulatory effects on the immune response and increases the sensitivity of cancer cells to chemoradiotherapy and has shown effects on multidrug resistance (MDR) in malignancy. Recent studies have shown that β-elemene can induce autophagy, which prevents cancer cells from undergoing apoptosis. Therefore, the molecular mechanisms for the treatment effects on cancer of the herbal extract, β-elemene, which has been used for centuries in traditional Chinese medicine, are now being studied and identified.

Zhai B ，Zhang N ，Han X ，Li Q ，Zhang M ，Chen X ，Li G ，Zhang R ，Chen P ，Wang W ，Li C ，Xiang Y ，Liu S ，Duan T ，Lou J ，Xie T ，Sui X ... -  《-》

Antitumor effects of traditional Chinese medicine targeting the cellular apoptotic pathway.

Xu H ，Zhao X ，Liu X ，Xu P ，Zhang K ，Lin X ... -  《Drug Design Development and Therapy》

Progresses in TCM metal-based antitumour agents.

Chen ZF ，Liang H 《-》

Targeting Tumor Immunosuppressive Microenvironment for the Prevention of Hepatic Cancer: Applications of Traditional Chinese Medicines in Targeted Delivery.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is one of the ancient and most accepted alternative medicinal systems in the world for the treatment of health ailments. World Health Organization recognizes TCM as one of the primary healthcare practices followed across the globe. TCM utilizes a holistic approach for the diagnosis and treatment of cancers. The tumor microenvironment (TME) surrounds cancer cells and plays pivotal roles in tumor development, growth, progression, and therapy resistance. TME is a hypoxic and acidic environment that includes immune cells, pericytes, fibroblasts, endothelial cells, various cytokines, growth factors, and extracellular matrix components. Targeting TME using targeted drug delivery and nanoparticles is an attractive strategy for the treatment of solid tumors and recently has received significant research attention under precise medicine concept. TME plays a pivotal role in the overall survival and metastasis of a tumor by stimulating cell proliferation, preventing the tumor clearance by the immune cells, enhancing the oncogenic potential of the cancer cells, and promoting tumor invasion. Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) is one of the major causes of cancer-associated deaths affecting millions of individuals worldwide each year. TCM herbs contain several bioactive phytoconstituents with a broad range of biological, physiological, and immunological effects on the system. Several TCM herbs and their monomers have shown inhibitory effects in HCC by controlling the TME. This study reviews the fundamentals and applications of targeting strategies for immunosuppressing TME to treat cancers. This study focuses on TME targeting strategies using TCM herbs and the molecular mechanisms of several TCM herbs and their monomers on controlling TME.

Zhang LY ，Zhang JG ，Yang X ，Cai MH ，Zhang CW ，Hu ZM ... -  《-》