Baishouwu Extract Suppresses the Development of Hepatocellular Carcinoma via TLR4/MyD88/NF- κB Pathway

Conclusion: In conclusion, Baishouwu extract exhibited potent effect on the development of HCC by altering TLR4/MyD88/ NF-κB signaling pathway in the sequence of hepatic inflammation-fibrosis-cancer, which provided novel insights into the mechanism of Baishouwu extract as a candidate for the pretreatment of HCC in the future. Introduction Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common cancer in the world and the third cause of cancer-related deaths (Jemal et al., 2011). Chronic inflammation, caused by chemical, biological and physical factors, is found to be related to certain human cancers. The effect of inflammation-fibrosis-cancer (IFC) axis acts as a bridge from inflammation to cancer, and therefore promotes inflamed liver evolving to fibrosis/cirrhosis and HCC (Lam et al., 2016; Ding et al., 2017). Upon exposure to risk factors like alcohol, viruses, parasitesand toxic substances, hepatic injury resulted in the degeneration and inflammation, leading to chronic liver diseases, which may further progress to different stages of fibrosis, cirrhosis, and HCC. HCC is the final stage of this process. Traditional Chinese medicines contain natural active constituents, which demonstrate remarkable antitumor effect with little untoward effects. Cynanchum auriculatum Royle ex Wight is widely distributed in China. The root of this plant, known as “Baishouwu,” has been used for thousands of years as a tonic supplement. It is wildly used to replen...
Source: Frontiers in Pharmacology - Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Source Type: research