Department of Neuropharmacology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nagoya City University, 3-1, Tanabe-dori, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya 467-8603, Japan.
Department of Pharmacognosy, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nagoya City University, 3-1, Tanabe-dori, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya 467-8603, Japan.
Neuropeptides. 2021 Dec;90:102188. doi: 10.1016/j.npep.2021.102188. Epub 2021 Aug 24.
Cancer cachexia results in the discontinuation of aggressive cancer therapy, and halting its progression has a significant effect on the survival rate and quality of life of patients with cancer. Currently, there are few therapies to control or slow down the progression of cancer cachexia. Although traditional Japanese Kampo medicine is widely used to support aggressive cancer therapy, the relevant scientific evidence is limited. Additionally, Kampo medicines are based on historical experience. In recent years, there have been widespread attempts to prove the efficacy of Kampo medicines through basic research, and an increasing number of studies have clarified the mechanism of action of Kampo medicines at the molecular level. It has been proposed that the improvement of cancer cachexia by Kampo medicines might involve enhancement of feeding via the central nervous system, improvement of protein maintenance in the skeletal muscle, and suppression of inflammatory cytokine production. In particular, among Kampo medicines, tonifying formulae, called "hozai" in Japanese, have been shown to be effective in alleviating cancer cachexia. In this review, we summarize the recent progress of basic and clinical research in Kampo medicines on cancer cachexia, and introduce Kampo medicines that are expected to be attractive supportive cancer medication.
癌症恶病质导致积极的癌症治疗停止，阻止其进展对癌症患者的生存率和生活质量有显著影响。目前，控制或减缓癌症恶病质进展的治疗方法很少。虽然传统的日本汉方药被广泛用于支持积极的癌症治疗，但相关的科学证据有限。此外，汉方药是基于历史经验的。近年来，人们通过基础研究广泛尝试证明汉方药的疗效，越来越多的研究在分子水平上阐明了汉方药的作用机制。有人提出，汉方药改善癌症恶病质可能涉及通过中枢神经系统增强摄食、改善骨骼肌中的蛋白质维持以及抑制炎性细胞因子的产生。特别是在汉方药中，被称为“方”的滋补配方已被证明可有效缓解癌症恶病质。在这篇综述中，我们总结了汉方药在癌症恶病质的基础和临床研究方面的最新进展，并介绍了有望成为有吸引力的支持性癌症药物的汉方药。
