Li Yan, Du Xin, Mao Jingxin
Chongqing Medical and Pharmaceutical College, Chongqing 400030, P.R. China.
Int J Oncol. 2025 Jul;67(1). doi: 10.3892/ijo.2025.5766. Epub 2025 Jun 20.
Sesquiterpenoids are widely distributed in plants, animals, marine organisms and microorganisms, particularly in plants, and they exhibit various biological activities, including anti‑tumor, anti‑bacterial, anti‑inflammatory, antiviral and antioxidant properties. They also have the effects of protecting the liver, protecting the nerves, preventing and treating diabetes and improving immunosuppressive function. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the main type of primary liver cancer and the third leading cause of cancer‑related death worldwide. There is accumulating evidence that HCC is an increasingly serious threat to human health and the incidence of primary liver cancer is also still increasing. For the present review, literature on sesquiterpenoids in the treatment of liver cancer from 2003 to 2024 was searched through electronic databases. A total of 46 sesquiterpenoids were identified for HCC treatment. It was found that sesquiterpenoids play a therapeutic role in HCC by inhibiting proliferation, inducing apoptosis, inhibiting invasion and metastasis of HCC cells, regulating the body's immune function and decreasing the resistance of tumor cells. Sesquiterpenoids are promising drugs, which may create more opportunities for the treatment of liver cancer. However, research on how sesquiterpenoids act on HCC is not systematic and most reports are also limited to mixtures, while there is only a small number of reports of new sesquiterpene monomers for treating HCC. Therefore, it is necessary to further discover new components and study their biological activities, and to gradually conduct in‑depth studies and clinical application in the future. The present study reviewed the research progress of sesquiterpene‑rich natural products in the treatment of HCC in the past two decades.
倍半萜类化合物广泛分布于植物、动物、海洋生物和微生物中，尤其是在植物中，它们具有多种生物活性，包括抗肿瘤、抗菌、抗炎、抗病毒和抗氧化特性。它们还具有保肝、护神经、防治糖尿病和改善免疫抑制功能的作用。肝细胞癌（HCC）是原发性肝癌的主要类型，也是全球癌症相关死亡的第三大原因。越来越多的证据表明，HCC对人类健康构成的威胁日益严重，原发性肝癌的发病率也仍在上升。在本次综述中，通过电子数据库检索了2003年至2024年关于倍半萜类化合物治疗肝癌的文献。共鉴定出46种用于治疗HCC的倍半萜类化合物。研究发现，倍半萜类化合物通过抑制HCC细胞增殖、诱导凋亡、抑制侵袭和转移、调节机体免疫功能以及降低肿瘤细胞耐药性，在HCC治疗中发挥作用。倍半萜类化合物是很有前景的药物，可能为肝癌治疗创造更多机会。然而，关于倍半萜类化合物如何作用于HCC的研究并不系统，大多数报道也仅限于混合物，而治疗HCC的新倍半萜单体报道较少。因此，有必要进一步发现新成分并研究其生物活性，并在未来逐步进行深入研究和临床应用。本研究综述了过去二十年富含倍半萜的天然产物治疗HCC的研究进展。
