Regulation of Lung Cancer-related Signaling Pathways by Chinese Medicine: A Review
10.13422/j.cnki.syfjx.20240626
- VernacularTitle:中药调控肺癌相关信号通路研究进展
- Author:
Jingqi ZHANG
1
;
Jing GUO
1
;
Yaxin CHEN
1
;
Yueheng PU
1
;
Junjie XIANG
1
Author Information
1. Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 610036, China
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
lung cancer;
signaling pathway;
Chinese medicine;
research progress;
mechanisms of action
- From:
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae
2024;30(19):233-244
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Lung cancer is the most common malignant tumor of the respiratory system, and its pathogenesis is still not fully understood. Despite the significant clinical efficacy achieved through treatments such as surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy, they still come with many complications and significant adverse reactions. In recent years, numerous basic and clinical studies have confirmed the effectiveness of Chinese medicine in treating lung cancer. Chinese medicine features synergistic regulation through its multiple components, targets, pathways, and approaches. Active monomeric constituents in Chinese medicine are diverse, and their mechanisms of action are intricate, making it challenging to fully understand the mechanisms by which Chinese medicine prevents and treats lung cancer. Therefore, there is an urgent need to approach Chinese medicine intervention in lung cancer from a modern medical perspective, exploring the mechanisms of Chinese medicine intervention in lung cancer at the molecular biology and network pharmacology levels. According to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), the occurrence of lung cancer is predominantly attributed to factors such as deficiency of healthy Qi, presence of pathogenic factors, internal accumulation of heat-toxins, internal accumulation of phlegm-dampness, and Qi stagnation and blood stasis. Literature analysis reveals that Chinese medicine compound formulas for lung cancer predominantly include tonifying agents and heat-clearing and toxin-removing agents, such as Shashen Maidongtang, Xiaoyan prescription, and Feijinsheng prescription. The single herbs used mainly include heat-clearing, deficiency-tonifying, blood-activating, stasis-resolving, phlegm-resolving, cough-relieving, and asthma-calming categories. The use of Chinese medicine aligns with the TCM understanding of the etiology and pathogenesis of lung cancer. Studies have shown that TCM can regulate the expression of key molecules in lung cancer-related signaling pathways, such as the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/Akt), nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), Wnt/β-catenin, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), and Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK/STAT), thereby exerting effects such as reducing lung cancer cell activity, blocking the cell cycle, inhibiting proliferation and invasion of lung cancer cells, inducing apoptosis in lung cancer cells, promoting cell autophagy, and reversing drug resistance, and intervening in the progression of lung cancer. This study systematically summarized recent research progress on how Chinese medicine monomers or formulas regulated the aforementioned signaling pathways and key protein expression to exert anti-lung cancer effects, aiming to elucidate the mechanisms by which Chinese medicine intervenes in the progression of lung cancer and provide insights and theoretical basis for further research and clinical application of Chinese medicine in lung cancer intervention.