Bioactive constituents of animal-derived traditional Chinese medicinal materials for breast cancer: opportunities and challenges

AbstractBreast cancer is globally the most common invasive cancer in women and remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths. Surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and endocrine therapy are currently the main treatments for this cancer type. However, some breast cancer patients are prone to drug resistance related to chemotherapy or immunotherapy, resulting in limited treatment efficacy. Consequently, traditional Chinese medicinal materials (TCMMs) as natural products have become an attractive source of novel drugs. In this review, we summarized the current knowledge on the active components of animal-derived TCMMs, includingOphiocordyceps sinensis-derived cordycepin, the aqueous and ethanolic extracts ofO. sinensis, norcantharidin (NCTD), Chansu, bee venom, deer antlers,Ostrea gigas, and scorpion venom, with reference to marked anti-breast cancer effects due to regulating cell cycle arrest, proliferation, apoptosis, metastasis, and drug resistance. In future studies, the underlying mechanisms for the antitumor effects of these components need to be further investigated by utilizing multi-omics technologies. Furthermore, large-scale clinical trials are necessary to validate the efficacy of bioactive constituents alone or in combination with chemotherapeutic drugs for breast cancer treatment.
Source: Journal of Zhejiang University. Science. B. - Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: research