Cancer AND herbs

Herb-based extracellular vesicles (EV), inherently replete with bioactive proteins, RNA, lipids, and other medicinal compounds, are noncytotoxic and uniquely capable of cellular delivery to meet the ever-stringent challenges of ongoing clinical applications. EVs are abundant in nature, affordable, and scalable, but they are also incredibly fragile and stuffed with many biomolecules. To address the low drug binding abilities and poor stability of EVs, we demonstrated herb-based EVs (isolated from neem, mint, and curry leaves) conjugated with chitosan (CS) and PEGylated graphene oxide (GP) that led to their transformation into robust and efficient vectors...

BACKGROUND: Plants' raw materials can accumulate chemical elements, including radioisotopes, to some extent and reflect the region they grow in. Due to their high environmental content and toxicity, natural radionuclides - polonium 210 Po and lead 210 Pb are the most dangerous radioisotopes for human health. METHODS: 70 raw medicinal herbal materials from 54 popular wild-growing medicinal plant species, most of them included in the European Pharmacopoeia, were collected across three regions...

Pyroptosis is an inflammatory form of programmed cell death that plays an important role in regulating tumor progression. Reniformin A (RA) is a natural compound isolated from the medicinal herb Isodon excisoides that has been applied as folk medicine in the treatment of esophageal cancer. However, whether RA has an individual function in cancer and the molecular mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we show that in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), RA inhibits tumor growth by functioning as a pyroptosis inducer to promote TLR4/NLRP3/caspase-1/GSDMD axis...

INTRODUCTION: Skin cancer poses a significant health risk globally, necessitating effective and safe therapeutic interventions. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) from green tea and rosmarinic acid (RA) from herbs like rosemary offer promising anticancer properties. Combining these compounds may enhance their effectiveness, prompting the need for a reliable analytical method to quantify them. OBJECTIVE: Herein, we present the development and validation of a high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) method for concurrent quantification of EGCG and RA in lipid-based nanoparticles and biological samples...

The animal and cell models were used in this study to investigate the mechanism of Astragali Radix-Curcumae Rhizoma(HQEZ) in inhibiting colon cancer progression and enhancing the efficacy of 5-fluorouracil(5-FU) by regulating hypoxia-inducible factors and tumor stem cells. The animal model was established by subcutaneous transplantation of colon cancer HCT116 cells in nude mice, and 24 successfully modeled mice were randomized into model, 5-FU, HQEZ, and 5-FU+HQEZ groups. The tumor volume was measured every two days...

Tumors have a huge impact on human life and are now the main cause of disease-related deaths. The main means of treatment are surgery and radiotherapy, but they are more damaging to the organism and have a poor postoperative prognosis. Therefore, we urgently need safe and effective drugs to treat tumors. In recent years, Chinese herbal medicines have been widely used in tumor therapy as complementary and alternative therapies. Medicinal and edible herbs are popular and have become a hot topic of research, which not only have excellent pharmacological effects and activities, but also have almost no side effects...

RESEARCH BACKGROUND: The current changes in the global economy, characterised by the climate crisis and the economic and health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, have led to a significant demand for medicinal herbs. This trend is expected to increase significantly by 2050. In this study, we investigated the biopotential of aqueous infusions of four medicinal plants: Calendula officinalis , Chelidonium majus , Teucrium chamaedrys and Alchemilla vulgaris . EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: The flavonoid analysis of the aqueous infusions of the selected plants was carried out using the RP-HPLC technique...

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is one of the malignant tumors with high morbidity and mortality worldwide. Ferroptosis is a new type of programmed cell death caused by abnormal accumulation of iron-dependent reactive oxygen species (ROS) leading to lipid peroxidation. It involves the balance between iron metabolism, lipid metabolism, oxygen free radical reaction and lipid peroxidation. Recent studies have found that ferroptosis is closely related to the occurrence and development of NSCLC. Due to the emergence of chemotherapy resistance and radiotherapy resistance in the treatment of NSCLC, there is an urgent need to develop new effective drugs and treatment strategies...

Herein, we isolated five natural alkaloids, iso-corydine (iso-CORY), corydine (CORY), sanguinarine (SAN), chelerythrine (CHE) and magnoflorine (MAG), from traditional medicinal herb Dicranostigma leptopodum (Maxim.) Fedde (whole herb) and elucidated their structures. Then we synthesised G5. NHAc-PBA as targeting dendrimer platform to encapsulate the alkaloids into G5. NHAc-PBA-alkaloid complexes, which demonstrated alkaloid-dependent positive zeta potential and hydrodynamic particle size. G5. NHAc-PBA-alkaloid complexes demonstrated obvious breast cancer MCF-7 cell targeting effect...

INTRODUCTION: Chronic inflammation is one of the causative factors for tumorigenesis. Gastrodin is a main active ingredient isolated from Gastrodia elata Blume, a famous medicinal herb with a long edible history. AIM: This study aimed to explore the effects of gastrodin on colitis-associated carcinogenesis (CRC) in mice and to elucidate its potential molecular mechanisms. METHODS: Balb/c mice were induced with azoxymethane (AOM) and dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) for 12 weeks...

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Gynecological disorders have the characteristics of high incidence and recurrence rate, which sorely affects female's health. Since ancient times, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), especially tonic medicine (TM), has been used to deal with gynecological disorders and has unique advantages in effectiveness and safety. AIM OF THE REVIEW: In this article, we aim to summarize the research progress of TMs in-vivo and in-vitro, including their formulas, single herbs, and compounds, for gynecological disorders treatment in recent years, and to offer a reference for further research on the treatment of gynecological disorders and their clinical application in the treatment of TMs...

Ulcerative colitis (UC), an immune-mediated chronic inflammatory disease, drastically impacts patients' quality of life and increases their risk of colorectal cancer worldwide. However, effective oral targeted delivery and retention of drugs in colonic lesions are still great challenges in the treatment of UC. Coacervate microdroplets, formed by liquid-liquid phase separation, are recently explored in drug delivery as the simplicity in fabrication, spontaneous enrichment on small molecules and biological macromolecules, and high drug loading capacity...

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: The Dryopteris crassirhizoma Nakai., a commonly used herb, is known as "Guan Zhong" in China, "Oshida" in Japan and "Gwanjung" in Korea. It has long been used for parasitic infestation, hemorrhages and epidemic influenza. AIM OF THE REVIEW: The present paper aims to provide an up-to-date review at the advancements of the investigations on the traditional use, phytochemistry, pharmacological activity, toxicology and pharmacokinetics of D...

Icaritin is a natural prenylated flavonoid derived from the Chinese herb Epimedium. The compound has shown antitumor effects in various cancers, especially hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Icaritin exerts its anticancer activity by modulating multiple signaling pathways, such as IL-6/JAK/STAT3, ER-α36, and NF-κB, affecting the tumor microenvironment and immune system. Several clinical trials have evaluated the safety and efficacy of icaritin in advanced HCC patients with poor prognoses, who are unsuitable for conventional therapies...

Collective functionalization of the phytochemicals of medicinal herbs on nanoparticles is emerging as a potential cancer therapeutic strategy. This study presents the facile synthesis of surface-functionalized gold nanoparticles using Bacopa monnieri (Brahmi; Bm ) phytochemicals and their therapeutically relevant mechanism of action in the colorectal cancer cell line, HT29. The nanoparticles were characterized using UV-visible spectroscopy, TEM-EDAX, zeta potential analysis, TGA, FTIR and 1 H NMR spectroscopy, and HR-LC-MS...

The effect of Crocus sativus on several disorders has been discussed or even confirmed, but the efficacy of this herb on the female reproductive system has not been well presented. In this regard, this systematic review comprehensively discussed the efficacy of C. sativus and its main phytochemical compounds on the female reproductive system and its disorders for the first time. In this systematic review, scientific databases, including PubMed, Web of Sciences, Google Scholar, Scopus, and Scientific Information Database, were explored profoundly...

Oridonin is a tetracyclic diterpenoid compound extracted from the medicinal herb Isodon and related species. Since 1976, studies have reported the significant anti-tumor activity of oridonin in vivo. Recently, an increasing number of studies have confirmed the anti-tumor effects of oridonin in various types of cancers, and its effect on hematological malignancies stands out. Herein, we have systematically reviewed the anti-- tumor effects of oridonin and its specific mechanisms in hematological malignancies, including the regulation of cancer proteins, activation of intrinsic and extrinsic apoptosis signaling pathways, accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), modulation of chaperone proteins and miRNA expression, combination therapy with chemotherapeutic drugs, and the development of its derivatives...

BACKGROUND: Within the pro-metastatic hemato-microenvironment, interaction between platelets and tumor cells provides essential support for tumor cells by inducing Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT), which greatly increases the stemness of colon cancer cells. Pharmacologically, although platelet deactivation has proved to be benefit against metastasis, its wide application is severely restricted due to the bleeding risk. Spatholobi Caulis, a traditional Chinese herb with circulatory promotion and blood stasis removal activity, has been proved to be clinically effective in malignant medication, leaving its mechanistic relevance to tumor-platelet interaction largely unknown...

Biomaterial-mediated bone tissue engineering (BTE) offers an alternative, interesting approach for the restoration of damaged bone tissues in postsurgery osteosarcoma treatment. This study focused on synthesizing innovative composite inks, integrating self-assembled silk fibroin (SF), tannic acids (TA), and electrospun bioactive glass nanofibers 70SiO2 -25CaO-5P2 O5 (BGNF). By synergistically combining the unique characteristics of these three components through self-assembly and microextrusion-based three-dimensional (3D) printing, our goal was to produce durable and versatile aerogel-based 3D composite scaffolds...

Epimedium sagittatum (Sieb.et Zucc.) Maxim., a perennial herb, is an important medicinal plant, rich in flavonoids, and widely used in the treatment of sexual dysfunction, rheumatic disease, and cancers (Tan et al. 2016). In July 2022, a disease of root and rhizome was found on E. sagittatum aged 1-8 years in a planting area (266 ha) of Zhumadian City (32°58'12" N, 114°37'48" E), Henan Province, China. The disease incidence per field (660 m2 ) was around 10-15% in six randomly surveyed fields planted with about 10,000 E...