Anti-tumor Effect and Mechanisms of Calycosin： A Review / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ABSTRACT

Calycosin （CA）， a functional phytoestrogenic isoflavone extracted from Chinese herb Astragali Radix， is characterized by high efficiency， low toxicity， and multiple targets and has multiple pharmacological activities such as anti-oxidation， anti-radiation， anti-bacteria， cardio-cerebrovascular protection， and immunity enhancement. A number of studies have proved its significant anti-tumor effect， making it expected to become a potential component for the treatment of malignant tumors. Research shows that CA exerts the anti-tumor effect via multiple mechanisms like inducing tumor cell apoptosis and inhibiting tumor cell proliferation， migration， and invasion. It has been proved to be effective in suppressing breast cancer， colorectal cancer， lung cancer， cervical cancer， ovarian cancer， nasopharyngeal cancer， and other common malignant tumors. Its anti-tumor activity is mainly related to the regulation of B-cell lymphoma-2 （Bcl-2） family genes， microRNA （miRNA）， and estrogen receptor β （ERβ） to trigger tumor cell apoptosis. Its anti-proliferation activity is mainly reflected in the regulation of cyclin family， WD repeat-containing protein 7 （WDR7-7）， and Ewing sarcoma-associated transcript 1 （EWSAT1）. By blocking the epithelial mesenchymal transformation （EMT）， vascular endothelial growth factor （VEGF）， matrix metalloproteinases （MMPs）， CA inhibits tumor cell metastasis and invasion. In addition， it inhibits tumors by regulating autophagy marker Beclin-1 induced tumor cell autophagy and increases the sensitivity to chemotherapy drugs， thus improving the treatment effect. Although there are many reports about the wide range of applications and good effects of CA in anti-tumor， the systematic review of its anti-tumor mechanism is still lacking. Therefore， this study reviewed the anti-tumor effects and mechanisms of CA， aiming to provide reference for researchers and clinical workers.