1.Clinical features and multimodal quantitative radiological features of primary liver cancer patients with different traditional Chinese medicine syndrome types
Feng WU ; Muqing LUO ; Wantingting WEN ; Ziwei CAI ; Yinqi LIU ; Jian XIANG ; Xiaona ZHOU ; Qian GUO ; Kun ZHANG
Journal of Clinical Hepatology 2026;42(5):1093-1100
ObjectiveTo investigate the association of the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome types of primary liver cancer (PLC) with clinical features and multimodal quantitative radiological features on computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and to provide a reference for the objectification of TCM syndrome differentiation and precise diagnosis and treatment. MethodsA retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of 312 patients who were diagnosed with PLC in The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan University of Chinese Medicine from March 2020 to June 2025, and according to the TCM syndrome type, they were divided into stagnation of liver Qi group with 40 patients, stagnation of liver Qi and spleen deficiency group with 109 patients, Qi stagnation and blood stasis group with 62 patients, dampness-heat toxin amassment group with 81 patients, and liver-kidney Yin deficiency group with 20 patients. Clinical features and multimodal quantitative radiological features were compared between the patients with different TCM syndrome types. A one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between multiple groups, and the least significant difference t-test was used for further comparison between two groups; the Kruskal-Wallis H test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between multiple groups, and the Dunn’s multiple test was used for further comparison between two groups; the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups, and the Bonferroni method was used for further comparison between two groups. ResultsThere were significant differences between the patients with different TCM syndrome types in China liver cancer staging (CNLC), Child-Pugh class, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, albumin, direct bilirubin, total bilirubin, prothrombin time, neutrophil, and albumin-bilirubin score (all P<0.05). In the stagnation of liver Qi group, the patients with Child-Pugh class A accounted for 75.00%; among the patients with CNLC stage I PLC, the patients with stagnation of liver Qi accounted for 60.00%, and those with Qi stagnation and blood stasis syndrome accounted for 59.68%, while among the patients with CNLC stage IV PLC, the distribution proportion of dampness-heat toxin amassment (27.16%) and liver-kidney Yin deficiency (30.00%) was significantly higher than that of stagnation of liver Qi (2.50%) (all P<0.05). Radiological examination showed that there were significant differences between the patients with different TCM syndrome types in the number of tumors, ascites, venous tumor thrombus, maximum tumor diameter, intrahepatic metastasis, and lymph node metastasis in the hepatic hilar and retroperitoneal regions (all P<0.05). Compared with the patients with stagnation of liver Qi, the patients with liver depression and spleen deficiency or liver-kidney Yin deficiency were more likely to develop intrahepatic metastasis; the patients with liver depression and spleen deficiency, dampness-heat toxin amassment, or liver-kidney Yin deficiency were more likely to develop lymph node metastasis in the hepatic hilar and retroperitoneal regions; the patients with liver-kidney Yin deficiency were more likely to experience multiple tumors; the patients with liver depression and spleen deficiency or dampness-heat toxin amassment were more likely to develop ascites (all P<0.05). Compared with the patients with Qi stagnation and blood stasis syndrome, the patients with liver depression and spleen deficiency had a significantly longer maximum tumor diameter and a significantly higher proportion of patients with venous tumor thrombus (both P<0.05). Furthermore, among the 184 patients with MRI diffusion-weighted imaging sequences, the patients with dampness-heat toxin amassment or Qi stagnation and blood stasis syndrome had significantly higher ADC values and relative ADC values than those with stagnation of liver Qi (all P<0.05). ConclusionThere are significant differences in CT/MRI radiological features and clinical features between PLC patients with different TCM syndrome types, among whom the patients with liver depression and spleen deficiency, dampness-heat toxin amassment, and liver-kidney Yin deficiency tend to exhibit progressive radiological features, and those with dampness-heat toxin amassment or Qi stagnation and blood stasis syndrome tend to have higher ADC values. These findings provide an objective basis for TCM syndrome differentiation in PLC.
2.Cost-utility analysis of disitamab vedotin plus toripalimab as first-line treatment for HER2-expressing locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma
Peiyan XIANG ; Hui ZHANG ; Kaixin ZHANG ; Guihao ZENG ; Bikun CAI ; Yuhang LIU ; Shuangshuang HU ; Yonghui LIU
China Pharmacy 2026;37(16):2138-2143
OBJECTIVE To evaluate the cost-utility of disitamab vedotin (DV) combined with toripalimab versus platinum-containing chemotherapy as first-line therapy for locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma(UC) with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) expression from the perspective of China’s health-care system.METHODS A cost-utility analysis was performed. A three-state partitioned survival model was constructed based on the RC48-C016 trial with a 1-week cycle length. The long-term health benefits [quality-adjusted life years(QALYs)] and costs of disitamab vedotin combined with toripalimab versus platinum-containing chemotherapy as first-line therapy for locally advanced or metastatic UC with HER2 expression were simulated. The simulation time horizon was set to 15 years, and the discount rate was 4.5%. The willingness-to-pay (WTP) threshold was defined as twice China’s per capita gross domestic product(GDP) in 2025 (199 330 yuan/QALY). The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) between the two groups was compared, and one-way sensitivity analysis and probabilistic sensitivity analysis were conducted.RESULTS Compared with platinum-containing chemotherapy regimen, the DV plus toripalimab regimen yielded an additional 1.01 QALYs with an incremental cost of 183 224.45 yuan, and the ICER was 181 728.15 yuan/QALY, which was below the WTP threshold. At the current threshold, the probability that the DV combination regimen had a cost-utility advantage was 79.9%.CONCLUSIONS Taking twice China’s per capita GDP in 2025 as the WTP threshold, DV combined with toripalimab exhibits a cost-utility advantage over platinum-containing chemotherapy as first-line treatment for HER2-expressing locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma.
3.Exploring in vivo existence forms of Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma in rats.
Meng-Ge FENG ; Lin-Han XIANG ; Jing ZHANG ; Wen-Hui ZHAO ; Yang LI ; Li-Li LI ; Guang-Xue LIU ; Shao-Qing CAI ; Feng XU
China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica 2025;50(9):2539-2562
The study aims to elucidate the existence forms(original constituents and metabolites) of Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma in rats and reveal its metabolic pathways. After Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma was administered orally once a day for seven consecutive days to rats, all urine and feces samples were collected for seven days, while the blood samples were obtained 6 h after the last administration. Using the ultra high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry(UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS) technique, this study identified 6, 73, and 156 existence forms of Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma in the rat plasma, urine, and feces samples, respectively. Among them, 101 compounds were identified as new existence forms, and 13 original constituents were identified by comparing with reference compounds. The metabolic reactions of constituents from Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma were mainly deglycosylation, dehydration, hydroxylation, hydrogenation, dehydrogenation, acetylation, and amino acid conjugation. Furthermore, the possible in vivo metabolic pathways of protopanaxatriol(PPT) in rats were proposed. Through comprehensive analysis of the liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry(LC-MS) data, isomeric compounds were discriminated, and the planar chemical structures of 32 metabolites were clearly identified. According to the literature, 48 original constituents possess antitumor and cardiovascular protective bioactivities. Additionally, 32 metabolites were predicted to have similar bioactivities by SuperPred. This research lays the foundation for further exploring the in vivo effective forms of Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma.
Animals
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Rats
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Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacokinetics*
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Rhizome/metabolism*
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Male
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Rats, Sprague-Dawley
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Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid
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Panax notoginseng/chemistry*
;
Tandem Mass Spectrometry
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Feces/chemistry*
4.Construction of core outcome set for clinical research on traditional Chinese medicine treatment of simple obesity.
Tong-Tong WU ; Yan YU ; Qian HUANG ; Xue-Yin CHEN ; Fu-Ming-Xiang LIU ; Li-Hong YANG ; Chang-Cai XIE ; Shao-Nan LIU ; Yu CHEN ; Xin-Feng GUO
China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica 2025;50(12):3423-3430
Following the core outcome set standards for development(COS-STAD), this study aims to construct core outcome set(COS) for clinical research on traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) treatment of simple obesity. Firstly, a comprehensive review was conducted on the randomized controlled trial(RCT) and systematic review(SR) about TCM treatment of simple obesity that were published in Chinese and English databases to collect reported outcomes. Additional outcomes were obtained through semi-structured interviews with patients and open-ended questionnaire surveys for clinicians. All the collected outcomes were then merged and organized as an initial outcome pool, and then a preliminary list of outcomes was formed after discussion by the working group. Subsequently, two rounds of Delphi surveys were conducted with clinicians, methodology experts, and patients to score the importance of outcomes in the list. Finally, a consensus meeting was held to establish the COS for clinical research on TCM treatment of simple obesity. A total of 221 RCTs and 12 SRs were included, and after integration of supplementary outcomes, an initial outcome pool of 141 outcomes were formed. Following discussions in the steering advisory group meeting, a preliminary list of 33 outcomes was finalized, encompassing 9 domains. Through two rounds of Delphi surveys and a consensus meeting, the final COS for clinical research on TCM treatment of simple obesity was determined to include 8 outcomes: TCM symptom scores, body mass index(BMI), waist-hip ratio, waist circumference, visceral fat index, body fat rate, quality of life, and safety, which were classified into 4 domains: TCM-related outcomes, anthropometric measurements, quality of life, and safety. This study has preliminarily established a COS for clinical research on TCM treatment of simple obesity. It helps reduce the heterogeneity in the selection and reporting of outcomes in similar clinical studies, thereby improving the comparability of research results and the feasibility of meta-analysis and providing higher-level evidence support for clinical practice.
Humans
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Obesity/therapy*
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Medicine, Chinese Traditional
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Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
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Treatment Outcome
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Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use*
5.Neural network for auditory speech enhancement featuring feedback-driven attention and lateral inhibition.
Yudong CAI ; Xue LIU ; Xiang LIAO ; Yi ZHOU
Journal of Biomedical Engineering 2025;42(1):82-89
The processing mechanism of the human brain for speech information is a significant source of inspiration for the study of speech enhancement technology. Attention and lateral inhibition are key mechanisms in auditory information processing that can selectively enhance specific information. Building on this, the study introduces a dual-branch U-Net that integrates lateral inhibition and feedback-driven attention mechanisms. Noisy speech signals input into the first branch of the U-Net led to the selective feedback of time-frequency units with high confidence. The generated activation layer gradients, in conjunction with the lateral inhibition mechanism, were utilized to calculate attention maps. These maps were then concatenated to the second branch of the U-Net, directing the network's focus and achieving selective enhancement of auditory speech signals. The evaluation of the speech enhancement effect was conducted by utilising five metrics, including perceptual evaluation of speech quality. This method was compared horizontally with five other methods: Wiener, SEGAN, PHASEN, Demucs and GRN. The experimental results demonstrated that the proposed method improved speech signal enhancement capabilities in various noise scenarios by 18% to 21% compared to the baseline network across multiple performance metrics. This improvement was particularly notable in low signal-to-noise ratio conditions, where the proposed method exhibited a significant performance advantage over other methods. The speech enhancement technique based on lateral inhibition and feedback-driven attention mechanisms holds significant potential in auditory speech enhancement, making it suitable for clinical practices related to artificial cochleae and hearing aids.
Humans
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Attention/physiology*
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Speech Perception/physiology*
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Neural Networks, Computer
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Speech
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Noise
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Feedback
6.Clinical analysis of treatment for lingual thyroglossal duct cyst with trans-oral robotic surgery.
Lanjun CAI ; Kai XU ; Chao HE ; Qimiao FENG ; Zheng LIU ; Xiang LU
Journal of Clinical Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery 2025;39(11):1034-1037
Objective:To investigate the safety, feasibility and efficacy of trans-oral robotic surgery in the treatment of lingual thyroglossal duct cyst. Methods:The clinical data of 21 patients with lingual thyroglossal duct cyst underwent trans-oral robotic surgery from May 2017 to March 2025 were analyzed retrospectively. Results:The cysts in all 21 patients were successfully excised by trans-oral robotic surgery. The mean robotic set-up and exposure time, operation time, estimated intraoperative blood loss and recovery time for oral intake were (14.3±7.2) min ([range 5.0-32.0]min), (17.0±8.4) min (range[6.0-36.0]min), (8.4±5.9) mL (range[2.0-25.0]mL) and (2.1±2.2) days (range[0-7]days), respectively. No patients required tracheostomy, and no severe postoperative complications occurred. The patients were followed up for 2 to 96 months, with median follow-up time of 47 months, and 1 recurrence was observed. Conclusion:Excision of lingual thyroglossal duct cyst by trans-oral robotic surgery is safe and feasible, with rapid recovery and low recurrence rate, which is worth popularizing in clinical practice.
Humans
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Thyroglossal Cyst/surgery*
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Robotic Surgical Procedures/methods*
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Retrospective Studies
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Female
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Male
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Adult
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Treatment Outcome
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Middle Aged
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Adolescent
7.Analysis of chemical constituents of Dendrobium huoshanense flowers based on LC-MS and GC-MS
Le-yuan JI ; Qi-yan LIN ; Jin-xiang WU ; Qian WANG ; Bang-xing HAN ; Ye-cai WANG ; Dong LIU
Chinese Traditional Patent Medicine 2025;47(11):3660-3670
AIM To establish LC-MS and GC-MS method and analyze the chemical constituents of Dendrobium huoshanense C.Z.Tang & S.J.Cheng flowers.METHODS LC-MS was performed on a Zorbax Eclipse C18 column(2.1 mm×100 mm,1.8 μm),with the mobile phase comprising of water(containing 0.1%formic acid)-acetonitrile flowing at 0.3 mL/min,and electrospray ionization was operated in both positive and negative ion modes.The GC-MS employed headspace solid-phase microextraction for sample preparation,and the analysis was performed on an HP-5MS column(30 m×0.25 mm,0.25 μm),with the following temperature program:initial temperature 50 ℃(held for 2 min),increased at 5 ℃/min to 180 ℃(held for 5 min),then raised at 10 ℃/min to 250 ℃(held for 5 min),and electron impact ion source was employed.RESULTS A total of 62 compounds were identified by LC-MS,including 35 flavonoids,4 coumarins,6 alkaloids,6 terpenoids,3 amino acids,2 polyphenols,2 ketones and 4 others.A total of 101 volatile components were identified by GC-MS,including ketones,aldehydes,alcohols,esters,ethers,and acid.CONCLUSION This method can comprehensively analyze the chemical constituents of D.huoshanense flowers,and provide a scientific basis for elucidating its pharmacodynamic material basis.
8.Pharmacological Mechanism of Traditonal Chinese Medicine in Prevention and Treatment of Breast Cancer: A Review
Xiaoli WEN ; Fangyan CAI ; Biting CHENG ; Xiang ZHANG ; Hongning LIU
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(22):252-263
Breast cancer, as one of the major cancers threatening women's health globally, is characterized by high aggressiveness, high malignancy, and poor prognosis. In 2022, according to the World Health Organization, breast cancer ranked second in the incidence of female cancers globally, accounting for 11.6% of all new cancer cases. Western medical doctors mainly use surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, endocrine therapy, and molecular targeted therapy to treat breast cancer, which can effectively improve the recurrence rate and death rate of breast cancer patients and prolong the survival period of patients. However, its treatment process is often accompanied by a series of side effects, which bring challenges to patients' quality of life. However, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has demonstrated significant therapeutic effects in inhibiting the proliferation and metastasis of breast cancer cells, reducing toxic side effects produced by chemotherapy, and improving patients' survival rate and quality of life. It is therefore particularly necessary to investigate the pharmacological effects and mechanisms of TCM in breast cancer treatment. The authors combed the pharmacological effects and mechanisms of the etiology and pathogenesis of breast cancer, identification and treatment of breast cancer, TCM compound, TCM single medicine, TCM monomer, and external treatment of TCM to prevent and control breast cancer and found that TCM has a therapeutic effect on breast cancer. It can play a role in increasing the effectiveness, reducing the toxicity, and alleviating the adverse reactions. It can inhibit breast cancer cell proliferation, cell cycle, migration, invasion, immune escape, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), aerobic glycolysis, mitochondrial biosynthesis, aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis, reduce drug resistance, promote apoptosis, ferroptosis, cell autophagy, and regulate the tumor immune microenvironment by regulating signaling pathways. This paper aims to provide new ideas and methods for experimental research and clinical treatment of breast cancer.
9.Diagnostic Techniques and Risk Prediction for Cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) Syndrome
Song HOU ; Lin-Shan ZHANG ; Xiu-Qin HONG ; Chi ZHANG ; Ying LIU ; Cai-Li ZHANG ; Yan ZHU ; Hai-Jun LIN ; Fu ZHANG ; Yu-Xiang YANG
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(10):2585-2601
Cardiovascular disease (CVD), chronic kidney disease (CKD), and metabolic disorders are the 3 major chronic diseases threatening human health, which are closely related and often coexist, significantly increasing the difficulty of disease management. In response, the American Heart Association (AHA) proposed a novel disease concept of “cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) syndrome” in October 2023, which has triggered widespread concern about the co-treatment of heart and kidney diseases and the prevention and treatment of metabolic disorders around the world. This review posits that effectively managing CKM syndrome requires a new and multidimensional paradigm for diagnosis and risk prediction that integrates biological insights, advanced technology and social determinants of health (SDoH). We argue that the core pathological driver is a “metabolic toxic environment”, fueled by adipose tissue dysfunction and characterized by a vicious cycle of systemic inflammation and oxidative stress, which forms a common pathway to multi-organ injury. The at-risk population is defined not only by biological characteristics but also significantly impacted by adverse SDoH, which can elevate the risk of advanced CKM by a factor of 1.18 to 3.50, underscoring the critical need for equity in screening and care strategies. This review systematically charts the progression of diagnostic technologies. In diagnostics, we highlight a crucial shift from single-marker assessments to comprehensive multi-marker panels. The synergistic application of traditional biomarkers like NT-proBNP (reflecting cardiac stress) and UACR (indicating kidney damage) with emerging indicators such as systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) and Klotho protein facilitates a holistic evaluation of multi-organ health. Furthermore, this paper explores the pivotal role of non-invasive monitoring technologies in detecting subclinical disease. Techniques like multi-wavelength photoplethysmography (PPG) and impedance cardiography (ICG) provide a real-time window into microcirculatory and hemodynamic status, enabling the identification of early, often asymptomatic, functional abnormalities that precede overt organ failure. In imaging, progress is marked by a move towards precise, quantitative evaluation, exemplified by artificial intelligence-powered quantitative computed tomography (AI-QCT). By integrating AI-QCT with clinical risk factors, the predictive accuracy for cardiovascular events within 6 months significantly improves, with the area under the curve (AUC) increasing from 0.637 to 0.688, demonstrating its potential for reclassifying risk in CKM stage 3. In the domain of risk prediction, we trace the evolution from traditional statistical tools to next-generation models. The new PREVENT equation represents a major advancement by incorporating key kidney function markers (eGFR, UACR), which can enhance the detection rate of CKD in primary care by 20%-30%. However, we contend that the future lies in dynamic, machine learning-based models. Algorithms such as XGBoost have achieved an AUC of 0.82 for predicting 365-day cardiovascular events, while deep learning models like KFDeep have demonstrated exceptional performance in predicting kidney failure risk with an AUC of 0.946. Unlike static calculators, these AI-driven tools can process complex, multimodal data and continuously update risk profiles, paving the way for truly personalized and proactive medicine. In conclusion, this review advocates for a paradigm shift toward a holistic and technologically advanced framework for CKM management. Future efforts must focus on the deep integration of multimodal data, the development of novel AI-driven biomarkers, the implementation of refined SDoH-informed interventions, and the promotion of interdisciplinary collaboration to construct an efficient, equitable, and effective system for CKM screening and intervention.
10.Traditional Chinese Medicine Regulates Metabolic Reprogramming to Treat Lung Cancer: A Review
Xiaoli WEN ; Fangyan CAI ; Ling LIU ; Si SHAN ; Xiang ZHANG ; Hongning LIU
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(24):269-279
Lung cancer has the highest morbidity and mortality rate among all cancers. Because of the complex pathogenesis, there are limitations in the common Western medicine treatment methods. Clinical and experimental studies have proved that traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) can not only effectively treat lung cancer and alleviate the clinical symptoms of cancer patients but also reduce the adverse reactions and complications caused by surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy to improve the quality of life of the patients. The biological behaviors of lung cancer cells, such as proliferation, invasion, and metastasis, are closely related to their metabolic reprogramming. Metabolic reprogramming in lung cancer involves a series of metabolic changes such as increased glucose uptake and consumption, enhanced glycolysis, increased amino acid uptake and catabolism, and enhanced lipid and protein synthesis. Studies have reported that TCM active components, extracts, and compound prescriptions can effectively inhibit the biological behaviors of lung cancer by regulating metabolic reprogramming. Therefore, this paper reviews the pharmacological mechanisms of TCM active components, extracts, and compound prescriptions in regulating metabolic reprogramming of lung cancer, with the aim of providing a new way of thinking for the treatment of lung cancer by TCM regulation of metabolic reprogramming of lung cancer cells. The available studies suggest that TCM mainly inhibits the extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK)/c-Myc, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), and hypoxia-inducible factor-α (HIF-1α) pathways. Furthermore, the expression of monocarboxylate transporter 4 (MCT4), glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1), pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH), phosphofructokinase 1 (PFK1), pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 1 (PDK1), pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2), hexokinase (HK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA) are inhibited. In this way, TCM inhibits the glucose uptake by lung cancer cells and glycolysis in lung cancer cells to reduce the energy metabolism of tumor cells, ultimately achieving the therapeutic effect on lung cancer.

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