Liu Jia, Mu Yongping, Qi Ke, Li Jiayi, Hu Yang
Inner Mongolia Medical University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China.
Department of Clinical Test Laboratory, Hohhot First Hospital, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China.
Front Pharmacol. 2025 Jul 2;16:1611911. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2025.1611911. eCollection 2025.
Reactive oxygen species (ROS) exhibit a dual regulatory role in cancer biology. While moderate ROS levels promote tumorigenesis via DNA mutagenesis, excessive ROS accumulation induces cancer cell death through oxidative stress. Therefore, ROS homeostasis represents a promising therapeutic target in oncology. Collectively, ROS exhibit context-dependent and multifaceted roles in cancer progression. Emerging evidence highlights the anticancer potential of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), particularly saponin (PPS). PPS modulates oxidative stress through precision targeting of ROS-associated signaling pathways, thereby inducing apoptosis, cell cycle arrest, autophagy, and ferroptosis. These mechanisms collectively suppress tumor growth, metastasis, and angiogenesis, while concurrently mitigating inflammatory responses. Notably, PPS potentiates the efficacy of chemotherapeutic agents by reversing multidrug resistance in refractory cancer cells. The bioactive constituents of PPS, polyphyllin and polyphyllinositol, exhibit potent antitumor activity in preclinical models. This study systematically elucidates the molecular mechanisms underlying PPS-mediated anticancer effects via ROS targeting, offering a robust theoretical framework and translational insights for future oncology research.
活性氧（ROS）在癌症生物学中发挥着双重调节作用。适度的ROS水平通过DNA诱变促进肿瘤发生，而过量的ROS积累则通过氧化应激诱导癌细胞死亡。因此，ROS稳态是肿瘤学中一个有前景的治疗靶点。总体而言，ROS在癌症进展中表现出依赖于背景的多方面作用。新出现的证据凸显了传统中药（TCM），特别是皂苷（PPS）的抗癌潜力。PPS通过精确靶向与ROS相关的信号通路来调节氧化应激，从而诱导细胞凋亡、细胞周期停滞、自噬和铁死亡。这些机制共同抑制肿瘤生长、转移和血管生成，同时减轻炎症反应。值得注意的是，PPS通过逆转难治性癌细胞中的多药耐药性来增强化疗药物的疗效。PPS的生物活性成分，如重楼皂苷和重楼糖醇，在临床前模型中表现出强大的抗肿瘤活性。本研究系统地阐明了PPS通过靶向ROS介导抗癌作用的分子机制，为未来的肿瘤学研究提供了坚实的理论框架和转化见解。
