ABSTRACT
Biejiajian Wan， a classical formula for liver diseases， originated from Synopsis of the Golden Chamber. It has been applied in clinical settings for more than 2 000 years. According to modern pharmacological studies， it has anti-tumor， anti-fibrosis， and immunity-enhancing effects and thus is widely used for the treatment of liver fibrosis， hepatitis， liver injury， and other diseases. In recent years， accumulating evidence has proven the efficacy of this formula in the treatment of malignant tumors， especially liver cancer. This paper summarizes relevant papers in the last 20 years and summed up the anti-liver cancer mechanisms of Biejiajian Wan as regulating biological behaviors of liver cancer cells， anti-precancerosis， inhibiting tumor angiogenesis， modulating signaling pathways， suppressing activity of relevant enzymes， and regulating immunity. Moreover， this prescription can inhibit the proliferation， invasion， and metastasis of liver cancer cells， promote apoptosis of cells， suppress tumor angiogenesis， and boost immunity. In addition， it regulates Wnt/β-catenin， interleukin-6/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 （IL-6/STAT3）， NOD-like receptor protein 3 （NLRP3）， Janus kinase-signal transducers and activators of transcription （JAK-STAT）， Delta-like ligand 4-Notch （DLL4-Notch）， nuclear factor-κB （NF-κB）， Rho-associated kinase （Rho/ROCK）， transforming growth factor-β/Smad （TGF-β/Smad）， phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B/glycogen synthase kinase-3β （PI3K/Akt/GSK-3β）， and other signaling pathways. Thus， Biejiajian Wan is confirmed to have anti-liver cancer effect based on the molecular mechanisms. According to the summary of Biejiajian Wan in anti-liver cancer treatment， Biejiajian Wan alone or in combination with other drugs can significantly alleviate the symptoms， reduce adverse reactions， prolong the survival time with definite efficacy. Thus， it is safe with no adverse reactions in long-term use， which should be further promoted in clinical application. This paper analyzed Biejiajian Wan in the treatment of liver cancer based on the molecular mechanisms and clinical studies， summarized the limitations in current research， and put forward suggestions， which can lay a basis for the future in-depth research on and clinical application of Biejiajian Wan and development of anti-tumor drugs.