ABSTRACT
The occurrence and development of colorectal cancer as a complex disease involves the abnormality of multiple signaling pathways. Chinese medicine regulates a variety of biological processes such as tumor cell differentiation， cell proliferation， apoptosis， cell metastasis， cell cycle， and tumor angiogenesis to prevent the occurrence of colorectal cancer （inflammation-cancer transformation）， tumor metastasis （common metastases of colorectal cancer include liver metastasis， lung metastasis， bone metastasis， and lymphatic metastasis）， and multidrug resistance induced by chemotherapy， treat primary tumors， and mitigate the toxic and side effects of chemotherapy. The pathways of Chinese medicine in the treatment of colorectal cancer have been intensively studied. The available studies have demonstrated that Patrinia villosa Juss and Pien Tze Huang can regulate the Notch pathway to inhibit the growth of colorectal cancer cells. Curcumin and Quyu Jiedu decoction regulate Hippo pathway to inhibit the survival， proliferation， invasion， and migration of colorectal cancer cells. Kujin tea and luteolin suppress the proliferation of colorectal cancer cells and protect intestinal barrier by regulating Kelch-like epichlorohydrin-associated protein-1 （Keap1）/nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 （Nrf2）/antioxidant response element （ARE） pathway. Icariin and ginkgolide C can regulate hepatocyte growth factor （HGF）/cellular-mesenchymal to epithelial transition factor （c-Met） pathway to induce apoptosis of colorectal cancer cells and prevent liver metastasis of colorectal cancer. Verbascoside and apigenin regulate p53 protein to promote apoptosis of colorectal cancer cells， reverse thymidylate synthase （TS）， and alleviate the multidrug resistance of colorectal cancer. Resveratrol and lycopene regulate insulin-like growth factor （IGF）/insulin-like growth factor receptor 1 （IGF1R） pathway to inhibit cancer cell metastasis and prolong disease-free survival. Cordycepin and Galla Chinensis water extract activate AMP-activated protein kinase （AMPK） pathway to inhibit the migration and invasion of cancer cells as well as the lung metastasis of colorectal cancer. The above summary aims to provide reference for the in-depth research on the treatment of colorectal cancer with Chinese medicine and inspire new research ideas.