Regulation of Flavonoid Monomers on Signaling Pathways in Ovarian Cancer： A Review / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ABSTRACT

Ovarian cancer is a malignant tumor of female reproductive system with high morbidity and mortality. Currently， ovarian cancer patients are mainly treated by primary debulking surgery combined with taxotere/cyclophosphamide （TC） chemotherapy， with the five-year survival rate of 36%-46%. Chinese medicinal materials play a positive role in preventing the occurrence and development of ovarian cancer via multiple targets. The flavonoid monomers in representative Chinese herbal medicines， such as Epimedii Folium， Scutellariae Radix， Curcumae Longae Rhizoma， Ginkgo Folium， Bupleuri Radix， and Longicerae Japonicae Flos， have been proved to have significant anti-tumor activity and been widely used in the treatment of malignant tumors. We reviewed the relevant literature and summarized that flavonoid monomers can regulate multiple signaling pathways to inhibit cell proliferation， block tumor cell cycle， induce apoptosis and autophagy， reduce the ability of cell invasion and migration， inhibit tumor angiogenesis， and reverse platinum resistance， thereby inhibiting the occurrence and development of ovarian cancer. Such pathways include phosphatidylinositol 3- kinase （PI3K）/protein kinase B （Akt）/mammalian target of rapamycin （mTOR） signaling pathway， Janus kinase （JAK）/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 （STAT3） signaling pathway， mitogen-activated protein kinase （MAPK） signaling pathway， secreted glycoprotein （Wnt）/β-catenin signaling pathway， Notch signaling pathway， and nuclear factor kappaB （NF-κB） signaling pathway. By reviewing the regulatory effect of flavonoid monomers on the signaling pathways of ovarian cancer， we aim to provide a theoretical basis for the research on the roles of flavonoid monomers in inhibiting the occurrence and development of ovarian cancer.