College of Pharmacy, State Key Laboratory of Characteristic Chinese Drug Resources in Southwest China, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, PR China.
Institute of Thai-Chinese Medicine Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicines, Ministry of Public Health, Bangkok 11000, Thailand.
Biomed Pharmacother. 2021 Jun;138:111350. doi: 10.1016/j.biopha.2021.111350. Epub 2021 Mar 13.
Cancer is a fatal disease with high mortality and low survival rate worldwide. At present, there is still no known cure for most cancers. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) represents a noteworthy reservoir for anticancer agents in drug discovery and development. Curcumae Rhizoma (called Ezhu in Chinese) is widely prescribed in TCM for anticancer therapy owing to its broad-spectrum antineoplastic activities. Especially, the terpenoids isolated from the essential oil of Curcumae Rhizoma form an integral part of cancer research and are well established as a potential anticancer agent. For example, β-elemene has been developed into a new drug for the treatment of solid tumors in China, and is currently undergoing clinical trials in the United States. The review aims to systematically summarize the recent advances on the anticancer effects and related molecular mechanisms of Curcumae Rhizoma, and its terpenoids (β-elemene, Furanodiene, Furanodienone, Germacrone, Curcumol, Curdione). In addition, we evaluated and compared the anticancer efficacy and clinical use of the terpenoids with combination therapies and traditional therapies. Therefore, this review provides sufficient evidence for the anticancer therapeutic potential of Curcumae Rhizoma and its terpenoids, and will contribute to the development of potential anticancer drugs.
癌症是一种致命的疾病，具有高死亡率和低生存率，在全球范围内。目前，大多数癌症仍然没有已知的治疗方法。传统中药（TCM）代表了药物发现和开发中抗癌药物的一个重要来源。莪术（在中国被称为莪术）由于其广谱抗肿瘤活性，在 TCM 中广泛用于抗癌治疗。特别是从莪术精油中分离出的萜类化合物是癌症研究的一个组成部分，并被确立为一种潜在的抗癌药物。例如，β-榄香烯已在中国开发成为治疗实体瘤的新药，目前正在美国进行临床试验。本综述旨在系统总结莪术及其萜类化合物（β-榄香烯、呋喃二烯、呋喃二烯酮、姜酮、莪术醇、莪术酮）的抗癌作用及相关分子机制的最新进展。此外，我们还评估和比较了萜类化合物与联合疗法和传统疗法的抗癌疗效和临床应用。因此，本综述为莪术及其萜类化合物的抗癌治疗潜力提供了充分的证据，并将有助于开发潜在的抗癌药物。
