Anti-lung Cancer Mechanisms of Yang-warming Herbs and Formulas： A Review
10.13422/j.cnki.syfjx.20260824
- VernacularTitle:温阳类中药及复方抗肺癌作用机制研究进展
- Author:
Bo XU
1
;
Yu QI
2
;
Jixian ZHANG
3
;
Linling HU
2
;
Bo JIANG
3
;
Yilong ZOU
3
;
Cunyu FAN
3
;
Yiling FAN
1
;
Qing MIAO
1
;
Yihan YU
3
Author Information
1. Xiyuan Hospital， China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences，Beijing 100091， China
2. Hubei University of Chinese Medicine， Wuhan 430065，China
3. Hubei Provincial Hospital of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine，Wuhan 430015，China
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
lung cancer;
Yang-warming herbal medicines;
active ingredients;
Yang-warming compound formulae;
anti-tumor effects;
mechanism of action
- From:
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae
2026;32(10):70-79
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Lung cancer， particularly non-small cell lung cancer （NSCLC）， is the malignant tumor with the highest incidence and mortality in China and worldwide. In 2022， the global number of deaths reached 1.8 million， accounting for 18.7% of all cancer-related deaths， seriously threatening human health and life， and posing a severe challenge for prevention and treatment. Although treatment strategies for lung cancer have been continuously enriched in recent years， and progress has been made in targeted therapy and immunotherapy， long-term survival benefits remain limited due to primary or acquired drug resistance， low immune responsiveness， and chemotherapy-related toxicities. Therefore， there is an urgent need to explore safe and effective adjunctive therapeutic strategies. Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）， with its advantages of holistic regulation and individualized syndrome differentiation， has played an increasingly prominent role in comprehensive cancer treatment. TCM holds that "Yang deficiency leads to accumulation" is a key pathogenesis of tumors. Based on the theory that "Yang transforms Qi， while Yin forms substance"， deficiency of Yang Qi results in impaired warming and transformation functions， leading to internal accumulation of Yin-cold. This is closely related to dysregulation of the immune microenvironment， "cold tumor" characteristics， and dysfunction of the neuroendocrine system in modern medicine. Accordingly， the therapeutic strategy of "warming Yang， supporting healthy Qi， and combating cancer" has gained increasing attention. In recent years， commonly used Yang-warming Chinese herbs， including Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata， Zingiberis Rhizoma， Cinnamomi Cortex， Epimedii Folium， and Psoraleae Fructus， as well as their active constituents， have achieved notable progress in anti-lung cancer research by regulating multiple signaling pathways， inducing apoptosis， inhibiting metastasis， and reversing drug resistance. In addition， Yang-warming formulae such as Sini Tang and Yanghe Tang have shown promising effects in alleviating myelosuppression， improving cancer-related fatigue， managing malignant pleural effusion， and relieving cancer pain. These therapies exhibit toxicity-reducing and efficacy-enhancing effects， significantly improving patients' quality of life and survival benefits. To systematically summarize the roles and mechanisms of Yang-warming Chinese herbal medicines and compound formulae in lung cancer， this paper provides a comprehensive review of recent advances， aiming to offer insights for the clinical practice of TCM in the prevention and treatment of lung cancer.
