Molecular Mechanisms of Salvia Miltiorrhiza and Its Active Ingredients against Colorectal Cancer： A Review
10.13422/j.cnki.syfjx.20250621
- VernacularTitle:丹参及其活性成分抗结直肠癌的分子机制研究进展
- Author:
Jianing GUO
1
;
Xiaochen NI
1
;
Kaiyuan ZHANG
1
;
Wei FAN
1
;
Chuhang WANG
1
;
Chao XU
1
;
Jianbo HUANG
1
;
Tao JIANG
1
;
Guangji ZHANG
1
Author Information
1. School of Basic Medical Sciences， Zhejiang Chinese Medical University， Hangzhou 310053，China
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Salvia miltiorrhiza;
active ingredient;
colorectal cancer;
molecular mechanism;
research progress
- From:
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae
2026;32(4):307-314
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Colorectal cancer （CRC） is one of the most common cancers， with its incidence ranking high among cancers. It stands as the second leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. In the early stages， CRC lacks specific symptoms， and most patients are diagnosed at advanced stages， making it a major research focus in the field of gastrointestinal tumors. Currently， clinical CRC treatments face several common challenges， including high surgical risks， frequent metastasis and recurrence， drug resistance， and significant side effects from chemotherapy and radiation therapy. With the development and application of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）， it has been found that TCM and its active ingredients can effectively inhibit CRC cell proliferation， invasion， migration， and angiogenesis， and promote apoptosis and autophagy， thereby slowing the progression of CRC. This has become a key focus of CRC treatment research. Salvia Miltiorrhiza has multiple pharmacological effects， including activating blood circulation to dispel blood stasis， unlocking meridians to relieve pain， clearing heat to calm irritability， and cooling blood to reduce abscesses. It contains a variety of chemical components， including diterpenoids， phenolic acids， flavonoids， polysaccharides， nitrogen-containing compounds， steroids， and lactone compounds. This review summarized the molecular mechanisms of Salvia miltiorrhiza and its active ingredients in the treatment of CRC. It is found that these ingredients exert anti-CRC effects through various molecular mechanisms， including cell cycle arrest， promotion of apoptosis， inhibition of cell invasion and migration， induction of autophagy， suppression of tumor angiogenesis， and remodeling of the tumor microenvironment. The review aims to provide new insights for the drug development and clinical application of Salvia miltiorrhiza in CRC treatment.
