Anti-liver Cancer Effect of Traditional Chinese Medicine Monomers Based on AMPK/mTOR Signaling Pathway： A Review
10.13422/j.cnki.syfjx.20251528
- VernacularTitle:基于AMPK/mTOR信号通路探讨中药单体抗肝癌的研究进展
- Author:
Yang HU
1
;
Suqin HU
2
;
Shuo ZENG
1
;
Lei LUO
2
;
Mingyan LI
2
;
Qinsheng ZHANG
2
Author Information
1. Henan University of Chinese Medicine， Zhengzhou 450053，China
2. Second Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Chinese Medicine， Zhengzhou 450002，China
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase （AMPK）;
mammalian target of rapamycin （mTOR）;
monomer of traditional Chinese medicine;
liver cancer;
research progress
- From:
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae
2026;32(18):260-268
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Liver cancer， as a malignant tumor with high incidence and mortality worldwide， has shown a year-by-year increase in both incidence and mortality in China. Currently， Western medicine has achieved certain efficacy in the clinical management of liver cancer in terms of inhibiting tumor growth， alleviating patient symptoms， and delaying disease progression. However， its limitations cannot be ignored. Significant side effects， increasingly severe drug resistance， and limited improvement in patient survival collectively make the overall therapeutic outcomes fall short of ideal expectations. Therefore， exploring more effective and safer treatment strategies has become a critical issue that urgently needs to be addressed in the field of oncology. The adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase （AMPK）/mammalian target of rapamycin （mTOR） signaling pathway plays a central regulatory role in the physiological processes of liver cancer cells， including proliferation， differentiation， apoptosis， and autophagy， and is considered a key molecular target for anti-liver cancer therapy. Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）， characterized by its multi-pathway and multi-mechanism synergistic effects， has become an important component of the current comprehensive treatment system for liver cancer. Among these， TCM monomeric compounds， owing to their well-defined chemical structures and precisely analyzable pharmacological mechanisms， represent an important breakthrough in anti-liver cancer drug development. Studies have shown that various TCM monomeric compounds， including flavonoids， alkaloids， polyphenols， saponins， terpenoids， and quinones， can regulate the AMPK/mTOR signaling pathway and its upstream and downstream protein expression. Through these mechanisms， they induce autophagy and apoptosis in liver cancer cells， inhibit aerobic glycolysis， reverse drug resistance， promote ferroptosis， block epithelial-mesenchymal transition， and inhibit angiogenesis， thereby effectively suppressing the growth and metastasis of liver cancer cells. Based on this， this article systematically reviews recent studies on TCM monomeric compounds in the treatment of liver cancer， and further analyzes in depth their mechanisms in regulating the AMPK/mTOR signaling pathway， so as to provide ideas and references for the development of new anti-liver cancer drugs.
