Department of Pharmacy, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, 87 Xiangya Road, Changsha, 410008, Hunan, China.
Department of Pathology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, Hunan, China.
Cancer Chemother Pharmacol. 2021 Jul;88(1):1-14. doi: 10.1007/s00280-021-04265-7. Epub 2021 Apr 6.
As the main substance in some traditional Chinese medicines, cucurbitacins have been used to treat hepatitis for decades in China. Currently, the use of cucurbitacins against cancer and other diseases has achieved towering popularity among researchers worldwide, as detailed in this review with summarized tables. Numerous studies have reported the potential tumor-killing activities of cucurbitacins in multiple aspects of human malignancies. Continuous research on its anticancer activity mechanisms also brings a glimmer of light to the treatment of patients with lung cancer. In line with the promising roles of cucurbitacins against cancer, through various molecular signaling pathways, it is justifiable to propose the use of cucurbitacins as a potential mainline chemotherapy before the onset and after the diagnosis of lung cancers. Here, this article mainly summarized the findings about the biological functions and underlying mechanisms of cucurbitacins on lung cancer pathogenesis and treatment. In addition, we also discussed the safety and efficacy of their application for further research and even clinical practice.
作为一些中药的主要成分，葫芦素已在中国被用于治疗肝炎数十年。目前，葫芦素在抗癌和其他疾病方面的应用在全球研究人员中引起了广泛关注，本综述通过汇总表格对此进行了详细介绍。大量研究报告称，葫芦素在人类恶性肿瘤的多个方面具有潜在的肿瘤杀伤活性。对其抗癌活性机制的持续研究也为肺癌患者的治疗带来了一线曙光。鉴于葫芦素在抗癌方面的广阔前景，通过多种分子信号通路，可以合理地提出在肺癌发病前和诊断后使用葫芦素作为一种潜在的主流化疗药物。本文主要总结了葫芦素在肺癌发病机制和治疗中的生物学功能和潜在机制的研究发现。此外，我们还讨论了其应用的安全性和有效性，以进一步研究甚至临床实践。
